Power Rangers Aces: A Tennis Power Rangers Fan Fic
by zjzr08
Summary: In a world where tennis is a way of life, "Young Players With Attitude" are here to the defend the planet against the Faultissimo Armada, whose goal is to get the greatest source of tennis energy in the galaxy - the Seed Core! Will they win they able to save the galaxy, amidst of tennis rivalry? A not-so typical Power Rangers story on the world of tennis!
1. Rocket to Earth

**Prologue**

Somewhere in the universe, there is a faraway galaxy called Ketrac. In Ketrac, there are planets with life, each with great civilizations. Some are primitive and some are advanced. But they all have something in common – they all play the game of tennis! They really like the game of tennis so much, that they settle matters through duels. These duels are called Ad Duels, named after the "Advantage" scoring system. Whoever wins the duel gets the advantage to decisions they wanted.

As more play these Ad Duels, the energy coming from the greatest source of all tennis energy in the galaxy grows – the Seed Core. The Seed Core is said to maintain the tennis balance on the galaxy, said to be the regulator of the tennis aura. With many duelists, it is quite essential that balance keeps in check. The Seed Core resides on only one planet in the galaxy, and that planet is in Dreslon, the planet said to be where tennis started. At the wrong hands, the fate of the galaxy would be in ruins.

A long time ago, a civilization is said to have guarded the Seed Core. That civilization was said to be decimated by invaders, planning to steal the power of the Seed Core for themselves, but as the Seed Core was about to be stolen, it just disappeared. The invaders never found the Seed Core again, and the Seed Core was thought to have disappeared forever. As time goes on, it was just thought of as just a legend, like it never existed. But little they know the Seed Core found itself in a place where it can't be found by those who want to use its powers again.

As time goes on, the planets decided to hold tournaments to showcase their best tennis warriors and show their tennis skills. Each planet has their great players, each showcasing great prowess of the racket. The greatest tournaments are known as the Major Meets, where the best of the best converge to know who the best duelists of the year are.

At times, there are duelists who dominate the majors and are said to possess exceptional skills that other warriors would only dream to have. It's a thing that separates the greats from the legends. Those with great confidence and determination and an ability to trust in their game in even in the direst situations. Those great tennis warriors are said to exude an aura powerful that it makes opponents fear their mere presence. That aura was called the Ace Aura, an aura that overwhelms the tennis aura of others. Only a few possess such Aura so strong, that some may want to use it for their own selfish desires.

A tyrant on the planet Clayorca wanted to use Ad Duels to conquer. His name is Don Skeletoni Mafioso, the head of the Faultissimo Armada. The Armada aims to conquer the planets of Ketrac by creating a big army, created by forcing inhabitants on Ad Duels called the Dread Duels. These duels force warriors to play, where the loser would become controlled by the Armada. This enabled Skeletoni to create an army that follows his will, ready to conquer the worlds in Ketrac. However, controlling duelists were not enough for him. The Don wanted absolute power, and started to seek the Seed Core, believing it has the power to control all duelists at once, creating his own image of tennis conquest.

* * *

 **Set 1: Ready, Play!**

 **Game 1: Rocket to Earth**

It was the day of the Major Meet on Dreslon. Different players converged to go and compete in the yearly competition, and now only two are left. At the finals, a great duelist named Laverus Rocket was a match point away from the title. Everyone was excited seeing the legendary duelist add another Major on his accomplishments. As Laverus was serving, something below the ground was shaking. The spectators were requested to leave the stadium, as so the players.

Outside, they waited for the rumbling to stop. The rumbling didn't stop, as a big spaceship ascended from the stadium, and on top of the ship is the Don. He announced that the age of peace is over, and that he wants to wage war and prove that his army has the best warriors in the galaxy. He also threatened to steal the Seed Core, and that he will stop the war if its location is given. With none knowing where it is, he decided to start the invasion. Many of his ships sprung out and attacked the planet, capturing many prisoners. He also managed to capture some of the duelists, turning them into Dread Duelists.

Five of the players – including Laverus – however, fought off against the troops. They eventually were surrounded, until they were teleported to a mysterious cave, leading them to a secret passage. Laverus in particular was surprised about what happened, and wondered what is happening. As the players walked through passage, they felt a sudden surge of energy flowing. Reaching the end of the tunnel, they found the Seed Core.

The Seed Core then communicated with them telepathically, telling them of the danger they are facing. The Seed Core told them that five warriors destined to lead the galaxy on its defense against the Armada, each possessing the Ace Aura. The Seed Core then said that they should their Ace Aura to save the planets and use their skills to their full potential. The five agreed to fight against the Armada, in which the Seed Core gave them access to his full energy. They also decided to have their secret base there, protecting the Seed Core while defending the planets with their warriors. A counter attacked ensued.

As the fight becomes tougher, they eventually created suits that would help on the fight against the Armada, using the Seed Core's bio field to power it up. They were able to turn themselves into Power Rangers – the Ace Rangers. They fought against the Armada, winning in Dread Duels put against them, and beating their machines with their own tech. When the Don shows his big guns, the rangers show their own – the Grand Slam Megazord, a great machine that is their biggest answer against the enemy forces.

As the years go by, the Aces have saved many planets, and eventually infiltrated the enemy base at the Faultissimo Faultress (a.k.a. the Double Fault or DF). They managed to get to Don Skeletoni, asking for his surrender. Skeletoni didn't surrender, and instead said his parting words: "You may have saved this galaxy, but I have one more ace up my sleeve!" Part of the Faultissimo Faultress rose up, turning to a spaceship, having Skeletoni escape with the remaining forces, leaving Clayorca into a barren planet. Skeletoni then left the rangers with a threat that the DF would self-destruct, but the rangers managed to escape the DF, seeing it being left to ruins.

The rebelling forces now felt that they have triumphed against the Faultissimo Armada, but Laverus wasn't sure about it – he sensed that the balance of the Seed Core is still isn't right. It was then revealed that the Don's plan with his Armada to target other galaxies that play tennis, with one planet particularly in his mind – Milky Way's Earth. With that, Laverus decided to follow the Armada, and that the other rangers should stay to help in the recovery of the planets. While the other rangers are not that happy with it, they respected his decision and gave Laverus their Ace Morphers, hoping that he would find great warriors like them who would help defeat the Armada.

* * *

Using a rocket pod, he set course for Earth, hoping to get there before the Armada can, hoping to get to Earth safely. His pod was so fast that he managed to land to Earth faster than the Faultissimo ship, thinking what to do before they reach Earth. He disguised himself as a human, making himself comfortable on Earth. As he already looks and acts human, he was able to interact with them. He also found out that the planet has something familiar, a thing that he has been doing his whole life – playing the game of tennis.

He was fascinated that it was used for recreation rather than for serious matters. Not wanting to be left out in the competitions, he participated on them, and unsurprisingly excelled, making a name for himself on Earth as a great champion. He became a phenomenon, and lot of players looked up to him. He retired later on, and surprisingly disappeared from the public, with no one knowing where he went, speculating that he secluded to a place where no one would find him and have his peace. Little did they know that he's on a mission, preparing for the attack of the Armada.

As years go by, there were still no signs about the Armada coming to Earth. Laverus, however was planning for their return. While he's playing, Laverus was also scouting for other great players, who he thinks would also become great champions. These champions he felt possess the Ace Aura, the ones that could defeat the upcoming threat. Through the years, he was able to find players who do possess it, but with no threat of the Armada, he didn't think to give them the Ace Morphers.

Instead, he decided to create a secret tennis organization, focused on scouting for players with great potential, particularly those who may also have the Ace Aura, to defend against the Armada when the time comes. Some have some influence in the tennis community, secretly finding potential members. They handled the matters of tennis and kept it in balance, like how the Seed Core maintained the balance on Ketrac. That balance however, may be soon to end.

On the eve of the London Slam, a distress signal from Laverus' lair rang. Laverus looked worried, thinking that the moment he feared has come. It felt all too familiar, when the Armada invaded during Dreslon's Major Meet. He felt it was finally time to recruit "Young Players with Attitude" that would fight against the upcoming threat. Five players were needed, and after a bit of scouting before, he finally has found the new Aces, ready for action.

It's the starting day of the London Slam, and the players are ready for the competition. Five young players – Pete, André, Venus, Rusty and Martina, have already had a taste of Slam victory. As the games were going, a big ship emerged from the skies. It was followed by smaller ships, where weird creatures emerged. They attacked the city, wreaking havoc among the people. The biggest ship then appeared, the Dreadful Default (the Double D for short), where there appeared the leader of the troops. It was not Don Skeletoni, but his first general, Prime General Moyardi. He announced the Faultissimo Armada's desire to conquer the planet, and asked for the people to surrender or face consequences.

Suddenly, those five players appeared. They were seemingly unfazed by the invaders, amusing General Moyardi: "Haha, so these pip squeaks are the ones you are going to face against us? Is this a sign of surrender?" A young player unfazed, replied to the general bravely: "We may be young, but we have the power to stop you." "How are you going to do that?" said Moyardi. "Well, like this – are you ready guys?" said Pete, having the other players respond with "Ready!"

The five took a gadget that looked like a stopwatch from their belts, and then threw their hands in the air like they were serving. They then grabbed something in the air like a ball. The five then said their morphing call: "Serve it up!", then a medal emerged from their hand, inserting it to the back of the gadget. _"It's Morphin' Time!"_ sounded the gadget, and by pressing an app on the display indicating "Morph", an emblem flashed from the display, and their bodies become enveloped with light. The light later dissipated, showing colored armor. The emblem went to suits, turning into their ranger emblem. "Hey, who are you really?" asked Moyardi, having the suited players began to recite their team motto:

* * *

André, the Blue Ace Ranger: "We are here to serve justice!"

Venus, the Yellow Ace Ranger: "And smash evil!"

Rusty, the Green Ace Ranger: "We will show you the error of your ways…"

Martina, the Pink Ace Ranger: "…showing the winning formula of victory! "

Pete, the Red Ace Ranger: "We push through our limits, giving everything we've got!"

All: "We are the…Power Rangers…Aces!"

The players are actually the Ace Rangers of Earth, the planet's defenders. Moyardi was surprised seeing that there are Ace Rangers on Earth. "Hahaha, so it seems that this planet has its defenders too. No matter, I'll test to see if you could defeat my Mugers!" Moyardi said. The Ace Rangers are now ready for the attack, facing off the troop. "Let's split!" says the Red Ace. "OK", says the others. The rangers then beat up the Mugers with their punches and kicks and using their Razor Rackets to slice their enemies.

However, a new wave of Mugers came, and they seem to be surrounded, having Venus, the Yellow Ace concerned: "Uh oh, were in a big pickle now." "We're surrounded, what should we do?" said Martina, the Pink Ace. Pete, the Red Ace however had a plan: "Don't worry guys. Just click the Weapon app in your morphers." The rangers pressed the app, and from their morphers, out came their personal weapons. "Whoa, nice! Time to give the knockout blow!" said André, the Blue Ace about his weapon. "I think with these, mates, we can now turn the tides, yeah!" said confidently by Rusty, the Green Ace.

They surged to the Mugers, fighting using their weapons – the Slick Staff for Pete, Giga Gloves for André, Handy Hammer for Venus, Sling Slasher for Rusty and Boom Blaster for Martina. They managed to defeat the Mugers, making General Moyardi a bit nervous. "Huh, it seems that you have what it takes to take on my troop. Now it's time to show my trump card!" says General Moyardi, who then unleashes a monster of his own. "Behold! My great creation…the Terracot! Created to be the ultimate clay warrior, with you just transitioning to grass, you won't be able to defeat him!"

General Moyardi then took out a ball-like device from his hand, pushed a button and threw it to the rangers. "I will give you the taste of what true tennis dueling is all about! It's time for a Dread Duel!" The ball then grew, engulfing the rangers and Terracot. The rangers were alarmed. "What's happening here?" said Green Ace. "It's getting dark here! Where are we?" said Pink Ace.

The rangers now have found themselves trapped into a dark space, where they and Terracot are the only ones there. Out of the blue, Moyardi shows up but only as an image. "Haha, if you are true tennis warriors, you will be able to defeat Terracot, but if not, you would be forced to be the Armada's servants!" said Moyardi. The rangers were shocked, but they all feel they could defeat the monster.

"Huh, it might be clay, but I think I could take him!" said Red Ace, but Blue Ace urged him to have him face Terracot himself: "But Pete, you struggle on clay! You lost early on the Parisian Open, and you still seem disappointed about it. I have reached the quarterfinals there, and I think I have what it takes to defeat him!" "But I'm the leader. I think I should be responsible for this fight. I won't let you become a puppet." Red Ace insisted, but Blue Ace still tried to change Red Ace's mind: "But were your teammates, and it is also our responsibility to assist you. Trust me!"

Pondering about this decision, the Red Ace thought heavily about what to do: _"_ _I won't let them be taken by the Armada, but André might be right – he is quite good on clay and we can't succeed as a team without the trust of each other. I think I know what I have to do."_ Finally, the Red Ace has made up his mind: "Alright. André, I'm counting on you against that monster. I trust that you could do it! Come on!" "Thanks! I know I won't let you down. Let's defeat that over-sized flower pot!" said Blue Ace, as he then faces Terracot, hoping to beat him at this Dread Duel.

* * *

Terracot however felt that it was a cowardly move by Red Ace: "Ooh, is your leader scared? Why are you making me face the blue one?", having the Blue Ace not back down: "It doesn't matter what color I am. I will show you my power and finish you off!" "Well, OK. Just makes my job easier, hehe. Let's start!" said Terracot. As the duel was about to start, a mysterious figure emerged – it's an umpire, who announced the rules: "I am the Ump, Mohani! I will oversee this tennis duel, and joining me now are my line judges to help in the line calls! Now, for the rules: a one-set shootout, deciding points each game, with regular tiebreak at 6-all. Are you ready?" "We're ready!"said both the duelists, making Ump Mohani start the match: "Well, let's go! Ready, play!"

The two now began to duel. Terracot used his Ancient Wall technique, making his defense almost impenetrable. However, the Blue Ace was able to counter it with Future Strike, taking the ball early before Terracot could really defend. "Time for my finishing shot!"

The Blue Ace then inserted a Paris Slam Medal in his Razor Racket. "Parisian Pierce, Final Strike!" An image of the Eiffel Tower then emerged from the Razor Racket, with its tip piercing Terracot, defeating him: "Game, Set & Match, Blue Ace Ranger!" announced Ump Mohani. The rangers celebrated the victory: "Wooh! Yeah!"; Red Ace also congratulating Blue Ace personally: "Great job André!". "Grrr, you have defeated my monster!" said General Moyardi bitterly, as the dark space – and the Ump – disappears, returning them back to normal.

The Blue Ace then insisted General Moyardi to leave: "Yeah, I did! Now stop attacking this city!". "Huh, you think it's over? After spending a long time in space just to get here? We'll not back down that easily! You will see A BIG change coming!" threatened General Moyardi, as then from his hand he pressed a trigger, dropping a giant jelly capsule to the remains of Terracot. The capsule then broke, with the liquid inside absorbed by the remains. The destroyed monster regenerated, and grew large into a gigantic monster.

"I am now battle hardened!" roared Terracot, startling the rangers: "Whoa, he's a giant now?" said Green Ace, having the Blue Ace reply: "I don't think our rackets are large enough to fight against this!". With the rangers not knowing what to do, a call from Laverus came from Red Ace's morpher: _"Pete, it seems that they enlarged the monster by using a Bulk Pill. The monster may have grown, but they are usually more unstable."_

"How could we defeat it? It's too large for our weapons." asked Red Ace, having Laverus reveal his secret weapon: _"Well, I think it is time to unveil THE secret weapons! Each of you must just insert your Ace Zord Medals that I will send in your Medal Packs. Then, you must press the Zord app in your morphers. After that your Zords would appear and help you defeat the monster!" "_ Whoa, cool! It seems that is exactly what we need." said Red Ace.

A medal then glowed inside their Medal Packs, which made the rangers check and grab it. The Pink Ace was curious: "A new medal?"; so was the Green Ace:" "Ace Zord Medal...I wonder what it's for." "Laverus said that this would help us defeat that monster. Insert it in your morphers, just click the Zord app and your Zords would appear!" briefed Red Ace, delighting the others: "Nice." said Blue Ace, "Yeah!" said Yellow Ace.

After the rangers did it, the morpher alerted: _"Summoning Zords!"_ The Zords then appeared out of nowhere, with a Hammerhead and Stingray Zord coming from the ocean, a Chameleon and Panther Zord coming from a forest, and the Ram Zord came from the mountains. The Zords came to them, and they all ride on it.

" _Rangers, you must then now click the Zord app again, where it would enable the Zords to form into one big Megazord."_ informed Laverus, having the Red Ace affirm: "Roger that! Guys, let's form our Megazord!" By pressing the Zord app again, the morpher alerted: _"Megazord formation, standby!"_ The Zords then began to form into this big mecha. The rangers then entered the Megazord and were amazed. "It's quite roomy in here and we could move around!" said Pink Ace. "Grand Slam Megazord – Ready!" said the rangers, as they face the big Terracot.

* * *

The Terracot first attacked by blasting them with big clay bricks, which the Megazord dodged. The Megazord then attacked using its sword, and slashed Terracot. Terracot retaliated by creating a brick wall around the Megazord, preventing it to move. Terracot then swirled up in the sky using its clay hands, ready to body slam the Megazord.

Not knowing what to do, the Yellow Ace had an idea: "What if we use the Madrid Medal, and use the Aero Fuego technique? Let's try it on the Megazord." "Yeah, we could use that! We could whirl the Hammerhead Zord to destroy this wall and deliver the final blow!" concurred Blue Ace. "OK, let's crush this clay culprit!" said all of the rangers, as then Blue Ace scanned the Medal on his podium. _"Madrid Medal, scanned!"_ said the Megazord voice. The rangers then shouted out the attack: "Ace Aura, charge…let's go! Aero…Fuego!".

The Megazord spun around and destroyed the brick wall, and later flew to the air on the approaching Terracot. "Uh oh, they escaped my wall!" said Terracot nervously, as the rangers were ready for the final attack: "We will crush you like we crushed that wall!" said Red Ace; "Final…Hammer Smash!" they said all toghether. The rangers finally has smashed the monster, not before it said its final words: "Such a crushing blow to my ego!". With the monster destroyed, Red Ace said his words of victory: "Game, set and match!"

The day was saved, but General Moyardi had parting words for the rangers before he fled to his ship – "Grr, you may have destroyed one, but there are more to come…we will return!" He retreated back to space, ready for their next attack. The Red Ace, however was not intimidated: "We will be ready!".

Back at the cave, Laverus greeted the rangers for a job well done. "Well done rangers, but this is not yet over. The Armada is persistent, and won't back down until they find…the Seed Core!" he warned. "But I know if you work together, all of you have what it takes to defeat the Faultissimo Armada, just like my fellow Aces in Ketrac. I do wonder, why didn't Don Skeletoni show up? Is he hiding or he hasn't arrived yet?" Laverus said.

While the rangers pondered, Pete tried to see things positively: "Well, even if he's coming or not, it doesn't matter, because we will defend this planet as much as we can. It's scary to think this Armada wants to conquer us with the game we love, but I know that tennis is for the good guys!" "You are right. I trust in you rangers." said Laverus. The team then huddled up, and said: "1, 2, 3…ACES!"

As the days and months passed, new enemies from the Armada shown up, but the Ace Rangers were able to defeat them. They were then known by the tennis community as heroes, but their identities are a mystery to them. Later on, they finally have faced General Moyardi, and defeated him with the Grand Slam Megazord.

Before he was defeated, he said parting words; words that say it might not be the end: "You may have defeated me, but this is not the end…this is just the calm before the true storm!" The Armada retreated, finally getting the peace they have waited. But with those parting words, the rangers did wonder if it was the end, or if there is still a bigger dilemma that they would have to face.

As they return to the base, Laverus congratulated them for a job well done: "Rangers, congratulations! You have beaten General Moyardi, and it seems their troops have left the galaxy. You have done a great job, and you may continue your normal lives now." "Thanks, Laverus. You have taught us so many things, and shown us that we could push our limits from what we can already do." replied Pete greatfully, but he then paused a bit and wondered about the general.

"I am worried about what General Moyardi said. While there are none of the Armada left on Earth, I wonder what happened to Don Skeletoni, who you said was their leader." said Pete. After knowing about it, Laverus said his thoughts: "To tell the truth, I have a feeling that it is also not over. I have a feeling that he's still out there, maybe still trying to get here on Earth. I feel this is just their first wave, and when the time comes, I think I will try to find new players to continue in your legacy, and to defend this planet from the invaders."

Pete, while a bit worried, smiled at Laverus. "I agree. But, I think it's time to move on our lives now. I do hope though we could see you again." said Red Ace. With that, the rangers bade Laverus goodbye, continuing on their journey on life. However, Laverus still felt a bit uneasy, feeling that the Armada will strike back, carrying a bigger threat he has not faced yet.

In space, a mysterious voice was trying contact someone: "Sir, General Moyardi has been defeated, so are the first troops. Should we engage Plan V?" "Yes, I think we should. Just send me all of the data you have gathered from all of the battles the troops faced, and we would know how to strike back." replied another voice. "Yes, sir." the former agreed, having the latter reply: "They might have defeated my best general, but that is just the beginning. I have now built an army that may be enough to make my plans successful, and when the secret weapon is finished, all they could do is tank!". The voice then let out an evil laugh, only heard around the sound proof walls of the voice's room.

 _To Be Continued_

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

Hi! I'm zjzr08, the author of _Power Rangers Aces._ This is my very first Power Rangers fan fic (or any fan fic at all), and I decided that it should be based on...the game of tennis! Super Sentai and Power Rangers have dabbled in so many themes, but not that much in the sports theme. I chose tennis because watching it is my most favorite pastime, and I even participate in tennis forums (which one of them I am a moderator). I watch the men's tour mostly, but I casually watch the women's tour from time to time. That is where the inspiration of my characters are: what if there was an alternate universe where everyone plays tennis, and what if their alternate universe counterparts were part of this great battle for tennis balance?

This story tells how the rangers of the new generation handle the responsibility of being Ace Rangers, "Saving Tennis, One Ball At a Time" which is their motto. Not only that, the game of tennis is full of rivalries; not everyone could be buds, and surely there are some enemies. Those will be put to the test as the rangers would have to unite even if some of them are rivals, trying to separate the game from their ranger life - even if it is the game they are protecting. They would later learn that being rivals doesn't mean they have to be enemies, and that being rivals actually may help each other improve.

So there it is, I hope you enjoy reading! Follow the journey of the Ace Rangers, as they try to protect the Earth and its Seed Core with the power of their Ace Aura! Serve it up!

P.S. To those who already read this, you may have noticed that I merged Prologue and Game 1. Due to FanFiction displaying "Chapter x" on headings, it would look weird to see "Chapter 2: Game 1: Rocket to Earth" so I decided to just name the chapter title labels as their chapter name while their full names would be found in the main story. I have also adjusted it from last time to give more space. If many wants the past writing format, just tell me!

EDIT: Seeing that some may think this chapter is the end, I have added a "To Be Continued" to know that this is just a prelude to really what's going to happen.

 _Characters:_

 _(Every episode, I would tell which tennis personalities inspired the characters, and the legacy those inspirations left in the game.)_

 **1\. Don Skeletoni Mafioso** \- A bit of an inside joke in the tennis forum I'm in, he's inspired by **Toni Nadal** , Rafael Nadal's coach. He helped propel "Rafa" to 14 Grand Slam titles (the biggest titles in tennis), winning 9 of the past 11 French Open titles and is one of the best tennis coaches of all time. The inside joke that he's quite called "Tio Toni" which sounds like a head of a mafia haha. Not only that some of the forumers think that Rafa's "easy draws" in many tournaments were due to "Tio Toni" (which led to players who has an "easy draw" would have them be a mafioso for that tournament haha) **  
** **2\. Laverus Rocket** \- He is inspired by one of the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T.) **Rod Laver (nicknamed "The Rocket")** , he is the only men's singles player in the Open Era to have accomplished a Calendar Year Grand Slam (winning all Grand Slams within a calendar year). He has won 11 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, but he has won 200 singles titles altogether and is also a legend in doubles.  
 **3\. Pete Megalos** \- He is inspired by the 14-time Grand Slam champion and 7-time Wimbledon champion, American player **Pete Sampras**. Known for his monster serve and mental strength, he has also won many titles in the Australian Open and the US Open.  
 **4.** **André Pavoni** \- He is inspired by 8-time Grand Slam champion and Career Grand Slam champion, American player and said to be Pete's rival, **Andre Agassi**. Said one of the best returners in the game at that time, he is also one of the most charismatic players on the history of the sport.  
 **5\. Venus Rainey** \- She is inspired by 7-time Grand Slam champion and 5-time Wimbledon champion, the older half of the famous Williams Sisters, **Venus Williams**. Known for her great groundstrokes, she's inspiration for finishing a college degree (like her counterpart here) and fighting Sjögren's syndrome, getting back into the Top 10 as of this time of writing.  
 **6\. Rusty Hubert** \- He is inspired by the 2-time Grand Slam champion and former World #1 for 80 weeks, **Lleyton "Rusty" Hewitt**. Known for his fighting spirit and never say die attitude, he was the youngest player to ever win their first title. I would like to take note that when I was making this chapter he was on his retirement run. I think I published my first edition of this story just after Australian Open. **  
** **7\. Martina Laska** \- She is inspired by the 5-time Grand Slam champion and Swiss prodigy, **Martina Hingis**. Spending 209 weeks as World #1, she is the youngest ever Grand Slam champion and World #1, she reached all of the Grand Slam singles finals in a year at the age of 16, only losing the French Open. She retired early in singles but returned in the doubles scene in 2013, with her most fruitful partnership being Indian player Sania Mirza, and currently has won the last 3 Slams, now being part of the World #1 team. She is also paired up with another Indian player, Leander Paes in the mixed doubles, winning 3 of the 4 Grand Slams, again missing the French Open.  
 **8\. Prime General Moyardi** \- He is inspired by the 1998 French Open champion and former World #1, **Carlos Moya**. An excellent clay courter, he is the first Spanish World #1 and said to be one of the first Spanish players to really have big breakthroughs on non-clay surfaces. He current coaches Milos Raonic, a Canadian Australian Open and Wimbledon semifinalist. The character's name is also inspired by the Sherlock Holmes villain **Moriarty**.

 _Other Thoughts:_

With the fan fic being based on the world of tennis, there are many references on tennis terms, tournaments, events and places. Which ones can you find?

 **Bonus:** The planet **Dreslon** is based on London, whose French name is called "Londres". A bit of jumbling and you have Dreslon! It is said that tennis came from UK and that is the inspiration of my choosing Dreslon as the root of the Seed Core. Wimbledon is also found in London and is said to be the most prestigious Grand Slam.

 _Disclaimer:_

Power Rangers is a property of Saban Brands. The characters are only inspired by tennis personalities and should not be treated as their real life inspirations.


	2. Second Serve

**Game 2: Second Serve**

Ten years have passed and Earth had no more invaders come. Tennis is now the most popular sport, with new players coming to the game. The retired rangers continued playing tennis, but almost all of them have retired from playing, too. Pete had broken the record for number of Slams won, while André won many Slams too.

Venus continued playing, but she also took up college classes on the side and just retired two years ago. The youngest member, Rusty, kept playing the game, but injuries hampered him on his progress. He recently announced his retirement, deciding to become a coach instead. Martina also retired, but for the reasons that she wants to pursue a career other than tennis.

At present time, the tennis season is just starting. Laverus, still monitoring Faultissimo Armada activity in space, was developing additional tech that could help defeat the possible incoming danger, also scouting new players who may have the Ace Aura. He also instructed Rusty to oversee the Brisbane Bronze Tournament (located in the nation where Laverus lived here on Earth – Australia) and to give out the trophy to the champion. As the tournament finished, the stage was set to present the champion's trophy.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a round of applause to this year's champion…Roger Davis!"_ was heard around the court as Rusty went up to the stage to present the trophy. Rusty and Roger then exchanged greetings:

"Congratulations! You really are making good progress in the past year or so." greeted Rusty.

"Thank you very much! With the upcoming Australian Hard Court Slam to defend, this would give me a confidence boost for sure!" replied Roger. "Good for you! Best wishes to you this season." said Rusty, as Roger replied: "Thank you! You are such an inspiration to me." "I'm flattered, thanks. Keep it up; you really have a bright future ahead." said Rusty. Looking at Roger, a thought came out of his mind: _"I think you may be the one that I am looking for."_ After the presentation, the audience applauded, showing appreciation to the tournament's finalists.

Later that day, Roger packed up his things as he leaves Brisbane for Melbourne, the place where the Australian Hard Court Slam, also known by players as The Aussies, would be held. Before he left his inn room, he reminisced a championship moment: _"Another week, another title. What a journey it has been, especially after I won my second Grand Slam last year in Melbourne. It feels like it was only yesterday when I got that win…"_

Roger flashed back to last year, when he was in the final against Nole Borkovic, another player seeking for his second Slam title. "Ladies and gentlemen, let me present you this year's Australian Hard Court Slam men's singles champion, Roger Davis!" said the announcer. Applause was heard as the audience thank Roger and Nole on an excellent final; a final that went to a fifth-setter. "Roger, congrats to your second Slam title...but I just let you know, I let you easy this time." said Nole.

"Really? How did it get to a deciding set if it was, as you said, easy?" replied Roger. "Ha, I'm kidding of course. But I will have my revenge. You'll see." said Nole, as Roger replied: "Well, let the best man win…which means me, haha." Nole however just sneered at him. "He, very funny…" he said.

After Roger finished reminiscing, he locked the door, ready to leave the inn to go to the team RV. "Well guys, Next stop, Melbourne! The Aussies await!" said Roger, as his team left Brisbane for The Aussies. He then put his bags at the back of the RV, sitting inside, while reviewing videos of his matches on his laptop. Moments later, Roger received a text on his phone, surprisingly coming from Nole.

"Hmm, a message from Nole…what is this?" said Roger, as he read the text message: _"Roger, let's have a practice session a day before The Aussies starts. Let's see how our games improved since the last time we met in Melbourne. I'll expect you will be there."_

* * *

Roger thought about facing Nole again who got injured during the clay season and was gone for almost the whole year's remainder after an excellent start: _"It seems he is ready to get to the next level. Haven't seen him in a while, but he won two Bronze titles back-to-back to get in form. I wonder why he's a bit overconfident when he is playing his first big tournament in a long while…interesting."_

At nighttime, Roger and his team stayed on a rest stop. Outside, Roger was looking at the stars as it relaxes him. "Ahh, looking at the night sky never gets old." said Roger. Suddenly, a big red flashing light from the sky distracted him. "What is that? It doesn't look like your typical night lights." said Roger.

Back at Laverus' lair, Laverus was trying to find out what the flashing eerie red light was: "Hmm, there seems to be a disturbance in space. I wonder what that is." as he then zoomed in to the sector, just close to the edge of the solar system. "Let's see what this is…" he said, trying to see where the light came from his the screen.

Zooming in closely, Laverus was then stunned – he feared the moment has finally come: "I think it is time." Needing assistance, he urgently called the five veteran Earth Aces – Pete, André, Venus, Rusty and Martina – to all go to Melbourne for The Aussies for important news.

At the eve of The Aussies, Roger's crew has finally reached Melbourne. Roger stepped out of the RV, with the press trying to get a glimpse of him. He and his team then went to the Tennis Center, a place where the players could stay during tournaments. There, he greeted his friend Tommy, who was going to the cafeteria to eat.

"Hey, long time no see! How was your off-season? I read that you are experimenting shots." greeted Tommy, as Roger replied: "Yeah, I did. I was trying to see what I could add to my bag of tricks, haha." "Well anyway, I'm gonna grab some lunch. Are you coming?" asked Tommy, having Roger answer: "Nah, I have to go unpack my stuff first. I also have an appointment later on." "OK. See yah! Go try the pasta though. It tastes incredible!" told Tommy, as Roger said his goodbye.

Roger then went to his room, unpacking his bags. "There! All packed out. Maybe I have time now to relax before I could start my practice. Maybe also try the pasta Tommy was talking about. I do seem a bit famished." said Roger to himself. Suddenly, his phone rang to alert a received text message. "Huh, I wonder who this could be…from Nole, huh. Oh yeah, I remembered he wanted to play a practice run with him today. I wonder what's up." he said.

After Roger first went to the cafeteria to eat, he checked the practice courts to see if Nole was there. _"He said on the text that I would have to meet him in Practice Court G, but he's not here yet."_ thought Roger, until a hand touched his shoulder and shouted: "GOTCHA!" "Ahhh! You scared me there. I hear you like to prank players like this. Will you ever mature?" said Roger.

"Oh come on, lighten up you twinkle-toes. I was just having a bit of fun, but you know how pumped up and focused I am when it comes to tennis. I'm training very hard to really push my game to the next level. I think by showing you here, I will prove that I am also a great player – by beating you!" replied Nole, who Roger noticed is quite positive. "You sure are quite confident. Very well, let's go to the courts. Let's see if you can walk the talk. I'll be ready." Roger said.

The two started to play after a warm-up, ready to see how their games match up. Nole's hitting partner decided to umpire the match, with Roger's fitness trainer also paying attention. "Ready, play!" said the umpire, as play went under way. In a "Race to 8 games" set format, Roger was able to break Nole early, skeptical about Nole's improvements: "Are you sure you changed your game? I broke you a bit too easy." "Well I am just warming up. I will get to that higher gear real soon." said Nole.

At the 8th game with Roger up with a break of serve, Nole was able to rebreak, annoying Roger a little. _"It does seem that he improved his game well. Before he wasn't able to chase my offense down that much, but as the match goes I feel like I am just hitting a wall. What is worse that wall is fighting back. I have to think of something else to counter this."_ thought Roger, as Nole managed to hold his serve at the 9th game.

Nole was not backing down: "What do you think of my new moves? I have trained so hard to improve my fitness and now I feel great!" Roger was not fazed: "Well you might have improved, but you don't have the tricks up my sleeve." "I might not have the "bag of tricks" that you have, but what I have is all I need." Nole said.

* * *

As the 10th game continued, Roger eventually faced a break point. He managed to create a big serve, but Nole quickly responded with a great return to counter it. Roger tried a risky backhand down-the-line just to get the point, which he successfully did. He eventually held; a bit relieved that he was able to get out of trouble. _"That was a close one. Even my great serve struggles with his return."_ thought Roger. Nole was impressed: _"That was a great effort by Roger to hold in that last game. He's still hard to beat, as always."_

As the match went to the 11th game, Nole was able to hold, putting additional pressure to Roger's next service game. At the 12th game, Roger faced 30-30. "Well, if you want serious…well it's time to be serious." said Nole, focused on breaking serve. When Roger served, Nole was able to return it again…but this time, it wasn't just a simple return – he was able to return it so well, that it became a return winner!

"No way, how can you turn my serve against me?" said a surprised Roger, as Nole bragged about his new move: "Well, let us say this is my main trick. This technique I call…the Hard Springy Wall!" Roger was shaken by the technique, deciding to just try and be more aggressive to outplay him. He was able to get some great serves and offensive shots, but Nole was able to return some, putting Roger on the backfoot.

Deuce points kept on coming. It was going to the wire, as Roger quietly tried to pump himself up: "Roger, hold on. You only have 3 games to win this. You know you could do it!" A long rally then ensued, which Roger gave away the point in an error. "Are you already tired, twinkle-toes? I feel that I could do this all day!" said Nole. "No, I'm not. I could still handle this, you'll see!" said Roger.

With Roger facing break point, he needed a good serve to escape. With his first serve out, he had to get his second serve in to not double fault. Roger felt a bit tense, and Nole was able to notice it: "You're shaking a bit. Are you OK?" Known for his calm demeanor, Roger denied his nerves: "Of…of course!" Roger afterwards served, but his toss was a bit off.

As he hit the ball on his racket, Roger felt it was going to end up badly. _"Oh no!"_ thought Roger, as the ball hit the net. Roger double faulted, giving the break away to Nole, making him serve for the match, much to Roger's dismay.

The 13th game came and Nole was serving for the match. He felt great that he may finally prove that he could beat Roger. _"This is it Nole, just 4 more points to victory!"_ thought Nole, as he let out a big breath to keep calm as he served. The game goes on, as a winner from Nole and an unforced error from Roger made it 30-0.

"I'm not backing out without a fight!" yelled Roger, who forced Nole to an error, making it 30-15. "Well, me too." said Nole, who surprised Roger with a dropshot winner. With just one point for the win, Nole thought his time has finally come: _"I will show that I have what it takes to be the best player in the world!"_

Back at Laverus' lair, the invasion alarm went off. "Is it time?" asked Rusty. "It's time." affirmed Laverus.

As Nole was serving at match point, a big rumble at the sky was heard. A big shadow began to overcast on the practice court and later on to the whole Slam grounds. "What is this?" wondered Nole, looking at the big shadow. "I dunno." said Roger, who seemed puzzled. The two afterwards looked up at the sky…surprised on what they saw. "No…way." said Nole, with Roger also a bit edgy: "Is this for real? I thought it was already over?" "I am not sure, but for sure this is not good news. We have to get out of here and find a safe place." advised Nole.

The people around the grounds panicked as they saw the big flying ships at the sky. The incident that happened years back seems to repeat itself, but this time it looks worse than before. "Let's go to the Tennis Center and see if the other players are OK!" said Nole. "OK. But let's see help those in the practice court get out of this place safely." said Roger.

* * *

Roger was a bit surprised that Nole was actually concerned about others; while Nole was surprised Roger is not as self-centered as he thought. Nole agreed to check the players that are still practicing. "Come on guys, go with us! We have to be together so that you won't get hurt with many people panicking." said Nole. The players agreed coming with him and Roger, and they all tried to not get trampled by the crowd. "Stay together, guys! We have to get to the Tennis Center with no one left behind." informed Roger.

Minutes later, they finally had reached the Tennis Center safely. "There, it seems everyone is accounted for. Roger; thanks for your help. We may be rivals, but it seems we work together nicely. Maybe I should have been respectful to you." said Nole. "Nah, it's OK. A bit of banter doesn't hurt and it just makes me more pumped up in our matches. I apologize too if I get a bit cocky, not thinking I have rubbed other people the wrong way." said Roger.

Nole then made a friendly nod, while Roger nodded back. As the two were about to go inside, a troop of Mugers suddenly descended to the ground, ready to attack the players. Roger and Nole however weren't backing down. "Guys, go inside. I will handle this." told Nole to the other players. All of the players went along with it, but Roger decided to stay: "No, I won't leave. I would like to help you. I know a few moves myself." "Well, OK. Let's go… _Ajde!_ " said Nole confidently, as the two get ready to battle.

The two tried to beat the Mugers up, and while they managed to keep some of them at bay, they eventually were outnumbered and cornered. "We're surrounded, what should we do?" said Nole. "I dunno. Unless someone grabs us from above or something, we are toast." said Roger. "Gluten-free toast?" joked Nole, riling Roger: "It's not time to make a joke here!"

With the two trapped, it seemed they have no place to go…until a shining bright light fell towards them, temporarily blinding the Mugers. Bit by bit Roger and Nole's bodies began to turn to dust, making Nole and Roger worried about what's going to happen. "Wait, what in the world? What is happening to us?" said Nole; "I don't know, but I feel something that this is our ticket on our way out!" replied Roger. Their particles then seemingly got sent to a distant place, confusing the Mugers where they went to.

Back at the lair, Laverus and the other secret society members were preparing for Roger and Nole's arrival. A bright light flashed as their particles finally got back to normal, as Nole became worried: "Whu, whu, what happened to our bodies? Hey, where are we? This is creeping me out, man!" "I am not sure, but we seem to be teleported to a dark cave…with some advanced technology, I might add." replied Roger.

"It does seem we are inside a secret lair or something. Hey, maybe it belongs to a super hero. Or, maybe we are recruited by a spy organization with things other people were not allowed to see." thought Nole, but Roger begged to differ. "Oh come on, now that's just pure sci-fi…but then again us being teleported here is sci-fi itself." said Roger, as he started to ponder who or what brought them there, seeing that it seems to be empty.

"Hello…anybody there?" asked Nole; "Why did you bring us here?" asked Roger. Suddenly, an eerie voice spoke to the two: "Welcome, we were expecting you." "Hey, I already heard that line before." said Nole, as then a person from the shadows emerged, introducing himself.

"Allow me to introduce myself…I'm Laverus Rocket…and THIS is my lair!" Shocked, Nole asked if he really is Laverus: "Rocket? THE Laverus Rocket? Didn't you disappear from the tennis scene some years after your retirement? I already thought you were..." "Well, I'm here, alive and well, and I brought you two here for an urgent matter." confirmed Laverus.

* * *

"Wait a minute, where are we exactly first and how did you get access to such technology?" asked Roger, as Laverus first told them where they are: "Well, first of all you are in my lair – the Laverus Lair!" "Huh, he named the lair to himself. It seems someone has a bigger ego that you do." whispered Nole to Roger, as then Roger whispered back: "Shh, be quiet. I want to know why we are brought here."

"Anyway, you are here because you have been chosen for an important mission…" told Laverus. "Wait, are you telling me were now secret agents?" thought Nole, which Laverus refuted: "Well, not exactly. You have been chosen because you possess something that the greatest tennis players of the world have. It's something that makes them almost invincible in battle, something that brings fear to opponents before they hit their first ball. It's the feeling that these great players have, a feeling that they would win the match even in the direst situation. This feeling, this aura these players have, is what I call…the Ace Aura."

"Ace Aura? I know about great players having like a great aura surrounding them, making players and believe they couldn't win against them…but a literal aura?" boggled Nole, as then Laverus clarified: "Well, it's not exactly a thing. But those who possess it are said to have great power in them; power that the greatest warriors of the universe possess. Power enough to beat the Faultissimo Armada, and bring peace to the world. Power to become…Ace Power Rangers!"

Both Roger and Nole were confounded about what they heard, not being able to say anything, not sure what to believe. "Ace...Power Rangers? Do you mean the same rangers who battled against the Armada few years ago?" asked Nole.s

'Yes,"the same ones. I recruited five tennis players who possess the Ace Aura, as they could use the powers of the Ace Morphers to morph into Ace Rangers to protect the people of the world from the Faultissimo Armada. After they defeated the first wave of invaders, they all retired and continued playing tennis. I think you Roger, in particular have already met one of them." replied Laverus.

"I already did? Which one?" asked Roger. "It was me, Roger." as figure stepped out from the shadows. "G'day, mates. It's me, Rusty, the former Green Ace." "No, way! Rusty Hubert?" excitedly said Nole. "Rusty? Didn't we just meet in Brisbane just two days ago at the presentation?" asked Roger.

"Yes! I am quite amazed about your game. But what I am most amazed is how you handled pressure. You had such grace that you served well at important points and you upped your game when it mattered most. Not only that…you, Nole, also have been showing how much you tried to improve your game as the months go by, not backing down, striving to become the best player in the world. But what I am most impressed by you two, is what you did off-court – you helped people and faced trouble against you, teaming up and showing courage even as rivals. Those reasons are why you two are chosen to be the next Ace Rangers." replied Rusty.

Nole was just astonished: "Whoa." "Wait, so you mean we are chosen to become the next Ace Rangers? Do you think we have what it takes to fight against the Armada? We're just young tennis players. Also, how do you know we have the Ace Aura?" asked Roger, as Laverus replied: "Well, follow me."

Roger and Nole then followed Laverus to a special cavern deep in the lair. There, they saw a big, glowing sphere of energy, rotating and shining brightly. "Whoa, what is that glowing sphere? It's like the sun." figured Nole.

"That, my friends, is the Seed Core. The Seed Core, believe it or not, is where the root energy of tennis around the galaxy comes from, and legend says that if it goes out, the love of people for tennis on the galaxy goes out too. I spent years trying to find the Seed Core here on Earth to protect it, making it my mission after I retired. I finally found it, and it is my duty to stay here and protect it to those who may want to steal it. Not only that, I would also be out of the spotlight as the attention had been a bit too much." said Laverus.

* * *

"Wait, how do you know about this Seed Core, and why do you think you should protect it?" asked Roger. "Well, I will tell you a story." replied Laverus, as then a bright light flashed from the Seed Core, seemingly sending Nole, Roger and Laverus to outer space.

"Is this where I think we are?" fathomed Nole. "No, were not in space. But I will tell you…my story. There is a galaxy in the universe, known as Ketrac. In this galaxy, tennis is more of a way of living rather than just a sport. There, planets have their tennis warriors, and the strongest of the warriors have what we call…" (Roger then interrupted) "The Ace Aura."

"That is right! Now, there is a tyrant who wanted to conquer the galaxy, and stealing its Seed Core would be his one-way ticket to control everyone to his means. That tyrant's name is Don Skeletoni Mafioso, the leader of the Faultissimo Armada, who attacked our planets and captured the citizens turning them to Dread Duelists. Some were turned to Mugers, but the great players were turned to great soldiers for the armada. They were almost unstoppable. However, I and four other tennis warriors were recruited by the Seed Core and we were shown our destiny to fight against the Armada. We became the Aces, a rebel force against the Armada, using our Aura for the good of the universe, helping other planets who can't defend themselves. Eventually we infiltrated the enemy base. We thought we were victorious, but the Don escaped with his remaining Armada members, finding out that they were going to invade a new planet and steal their Seed Score – and that is here, on Earth." detailed Laverus.

"Laverus, you said that…YOU fought against the Armada? Does it mean…no way…" stupefied Nole, as Laverus continued to tell his story: "Correct. I am from the Ketrac galaxy, fighting against the Armada, using the power of the Ace Aura against them. We were able to save many lives, winning a lot of battles. But with the Armada's threat, I felt that I have to follow them and find new warriors while my comrades stayed to help other planets go back to normal."

"Still can't believe you came from another planet! No wonder they told that you played out of this world...unbelievable." said Nole, still in shock. "OK, now I see what the Faultissimo Armada is doing here. But how do you know we have the Ace Aura?" asked Roger. "Well, see for yourself." told the two, they started to show a colored glow, both being amazed by what they saw. "There is blue light coming from me." said Nole; "Mine is red. Laverus, you also had the same light as mine. Is this the Ace Aura?" said Roger.

"Yes, it is. Most players have a tennis aura, but the Ace Aura is special because it is very strong and defined, sometimes overwhelming the aura of others. However, we use our powers to overwhelm those who do bad, and it is the Aces' duty to protect those who don't have aura strong as us. I and the secret society have searched for the best players, those who have the Ace Aura. Every time there is a competition, the Seed Core reacts and converts its energy through a medal in our medal machine, connected to the winner. More wins, the bigger their aura grows. You, as Ace Rangers, could use these medals to power up your arsenal. While some did have the Ace Aura, they weren't destined to be rangers. But you two – and three more we need to find – will save the planet and return the balance!" said Laverus.

As the room started to go back to normal, silence was heard around the room. Roger and Nole were stunned about what they saw and heard, but they are ready to do the task at hand. "Wow, it is a bit too much to digest. But if it is to defend the planet and for the game of tennis, I'll do it." said Roger, as Nole also agreed to join: 'Well, I didn't work hard to improve my game just for the invaders to destroy the planet." "Nole…" said Roger as he nudged him, as Nole responded: "Oh, and of course I wanted to protect the people too, so I'm in."

"I greatly appreciate both your help. First, in order to start your mission, I will give you your Ace Morphers." said Laverus, as the three then went to another room in the lair. On that room, they saw the morphers on pedestals. Laverus then told them about the room: "This is the aura charging station. Those gadgets in the middle are the Ace Morphers, and are powered by Ace Aura. The morphers can be charged here by putting your hands to the charging pads. It would power up the morphers and medals so it can be used to its full potential. Roger, take the one on the red pedestal, while you Nole take the one on the blue. But before you do, charge it first."

Roger and Nole then charged their Morphers, and moments later when they were full charged, they took the morphers away. "Cool. What are the functions of the morphers anyway, though?" asked Nole. "The Ace Morphers look like a hi-tech stopwatch, but they are more than that. They contain apps that would help you during battle although there is a Fun app for, well fun." replied Laverus.

"Interesting. But how can we morph?" asked Roger. "To morph, you need to insert your own Morph Medal at back of the morpher. There are two medal slots, and the Morph Medal is placed on the top. You will then have to press the Morph app to transform." answered Laverus. "Awesome!" said Nole. "Now, let's get back to the main control room so I send you back." said Laverus.

Back at the control room, Roger and Nole prepares to return back to The Aussies. "I am counting on you, Ace Rangers!" said Laverus, as Nole reassured that they would do their best: "Don't worry, you can count on us. We will kick the Armada's butt for good, haha." Roger, however wanted to take one step at a time: "Hold up, let's focus on those invaders in The Aussies first."

"OK, I am setting the coordinates to get you back. You may feel a bit of discomfort, but it should return you back to The Aussies as quickly as possible." told Laverus. "We're ready!" said Roger and Nole. "Here it goes! Oh, don't forget that you could return here on your own by pressing the Teleport App in your morphers – it just needs your Morph Medals to work. It's a one-way app though and you need the teleporter here to get out." said Laverus.

"Wait, Laverus, what about the Morph Med…" said the two, but with the teleportation machine creating much noise, Laverus wasn't able to hear what Nole Roger said, only giving his well wishes: _"I am counting on you two, the new generation…the new Ace Rangers!"_

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

FINALLY! I have published Game 2 after how many days. I was actually working on Game 5 and Game 6 as of this time of writing (finished their first draft) and after that decided to publish Game 2 in FF format. Nice to Roger and Nole for the first time! Will they be able to stop the Mugers terrorizing The Aussies? Who are the other three players that Laverus is talking about? Find out in **Game 3: The New Balls!**

 _Characters:_

 **1\. Roger Davis** \- He's inspired by the 17-time Grand Slam champion and possibly the definite Greatest of All Time time, "Swiss maestro" **Roger Federer**. Breaking lot of tennis records, he has held the record for the most number of weeks as World #1 with 302 non-consecutive weeks. Known for his smooth personality, Roger Davis tries to not be overexcited, quiet and confident. However, he could be a bit of a dork a times and sometimes his excitement cannot be contained.

 **2\. Nole Borkovic** \- He is inspired by current World #1, 11-time Grand Slam champion and 6-time Australian Open champion, Serbian **Novak Djokovic**. He is known to be one of greatest defenders of all time, he is known for his flexibility and quickness and court, his ability to defend on almost any part of the court, and his double-handed backhand is maybe the best of them all. Djokovic is known as a jokester and I wanted to magnify his dynamic side towards Nole. Quite a firey personality on court, Nole being the energetic person in the group makes him an interesting contrast with Roger.

 **3\. Tommy** \- He is inspired by the German player **Tommy Haas**. Entertaining to watch with his OHBH and all-court shotmaking, he is one of the oldest active players on tour in the age of 37, his career is known to have been hampered by injuries, but he is able to return back well at times, even reaching Top 15 during 2013 when he was 35 years old. In real life he's a good friend of Roger Federer.

 _Disclaimer:_

Power Rangers is a property of Saban Brands. The characters are only inspired by tennis personalities and should not be treated as their real life inspirations.


	3. The New Balls

**Game 3: The New Balls**

Back at The Aussies, players inside the Tennis Center were trying to stop Mugers from entering the reception area. "There, I have asked to close the security lock." said Tomas Avery _(not to be confused with Tommy, Roger's friend)_ , men's world #5. "We have to think a way to get out here safely. We can't be here forever!" said another player, Ana Lukic, women's world #4. "I agree, but how?" said Jo Martel, men's world #6.

At the corner of the room, a young woman was seen mulling over something: "I can't believe it's happening again. I was just a kid back then, and I can't remember much. But my sister was telling me stories of an invasion that happened, and the Ace Rangers who protected the planet. Now, it seems that new invaders are coming and it feels so eerie."

That person was Serena Rainey, Venus' younger sister. She had already won Slam titles, winning 4. Currently the best female player in the world, she is a power player, renowned for her great serve. She has been given great accolades from her peers, but what she really wants is to make her sister proud. "Guys, do you remember the stories of an invasion years ago?" Serena asked. "Yes I do, but I thought they were just blown up stories, not exactly true." said Caroline Petersen, women's world # 5 and Serena's friend. "I mean, this feels so surreal. Didn't the Ace Rangers defeat the invaders years ago according to the stories?" she continued.

"I heard stories from my sister that it was just the start, that it was just their test run and that we should be ready when they do come again. Not sure how she knew about it, but she was right!" said Serena. "That gave me goosebumps. Either your sister is psychic, or she knows about what is up. Maybe she's an Ace, I mean I heard that they work in secret." said Caroline. "Haha, well, I am not sure about that, but it would be interesting if she was." replied Serena.

The door then began to crack, as the Mugers kept attacking the door. "My goodness, they are going to break the door! We need a way to get out of here." said Kevin Hanson, men's world #12. "Oh no, they're coming! Get the chairs and whatever you could find – we must block the doors so they can't enter." said Aga Krakowski, women's world #3. "OK, we'll help." offered Andreas Alduino, men's world # 30. "Mates, you know that we need to have concrete plan to save ourselves. Just stay calm, and let's think about it logically." said a young Scot, who didn't seem worried about what is happening around him.

The young Scot's name is Andy Ferguson, a young up and comer, currently world #3. He was born in the same week as Nole, but is always seemingly in his shadows. He might not have the strength as his other peers have, but he is the best at one thing – strategy, which makes him outplay others with his speed and guile. With great tennis IQ, he create moves that would need his opponents to be more creative to counter him better. He has already won a Slam in the New York Hard Court Slam the previous year, and he feels this is his time to step up and take his tactics to a whole new level.

"I think there's a supply closet on the 2nd floor. Let's go there because I think that's where the least they would expect us to hide; we are too many. We have to try and fit ourselves there and wait for them to leave." Andy suggested. Thinking it's the best plan for now, they agreed to follow his instructions…except for one person.

"Hide in a supply closet? That's crazy, I mean that is so going to mess up my outfit. Could we hide somewhere that is a bit roomy?" That person's name is the Russian " _it girl_ ", Maria Krasavina.

Maria is a talented player, winning her first Slam against Serena. Like Serena, she was touted as a tennis prodigy, the next in line for the elite group. Maria and Serena have known together quite a while, both coming from the same tennis academy. Both had a fierce rivalry even at that time, where Maria usually ends up in the losing side against Serena. This made her a bit insecure, but there is one seeming edge that Maria had over Serena: she's more popular than Serena in the academy due to her beauty and fashion sense, and many had a crush on her.

* * *

She also found friends in two fellow students, Elena and Ekaterina, together being called the "Russian Dolls". They charmed the students, even making their own singing group that sometimes perform in front of them. She was also not only famous at the academy, but also in the fashion world. She is a part-time model, endorsing known brands of fashionable clothing for teens and young adults. She was really liked by everybody...but what she wanted the most is to top Serena.

"Really, Maria? You're thinking about not ruining your outfit at a time like THIS?" said Serena, but Maria justified: "I have a pictorial with a sponsor here later evening, and they said I should wear it this afternoon to promote it." "Seeing what is happening around here, I think your appointment is already cancelled." said Samantha, women's world #9. "Come on, no more time for arguments. Hurry upstairs!" Andy urgently said.

As they were going upstairs, the Mugers finally had broken in. As the players finally reached the supply closet, Andy reminded them: "Careful! Tuck yourselves and make space. Make your phones silent so they can't hear us. If you have something to say, text them instead." Afterwards, the Mugers have finally gotten to the 2nd floor, first going through the player rooms, but the players were able to hide.

"Ugh, this room is so tight." said Tomas, when then Caroline scolded him: "Shh, quiet…" With the players trying to be quiet, Andy decided to send a text message to everyone instead: _"So, does anybody have a plan? How can we get out of here?"_ Suddenly, he then received a message from his brother, Jamie: _"Andy, me and mum are in Centre Court. Many people have evacuated here and it is currently on lockdown. Where are you now? I and mum are worried."_ "Guys, my brother said that people have evacuated to the Centre Court. Any ideas how we could get there?" asked Andy to the other players.

" _Well, I brought my rackets to defend ourselves. Their weapons look like rackets."_ texted Jo to the others. Maria however was not impressed: _"Oh come on, that is a bad idea. I am pretty sure those are not just your typical rackets, which mean our own rackets are probably not effective against these mopheads."_

Afterwards, another player messaged a plan. That player's name was Marin Kralj, the group's youngest player. _"I think the only way that we could get out is maybe blend in with those creeps. Question is, how can we do that in a supply closet?"_ messaged Marin. With Marin and Maria's ideas, Andy finally had one, looking at the replacement mop heads and tarps. _"Guys, I think I know how we could get out of here."_ messaged Andy.

The second floor was still filled with Mugers, but the players still decided to execute the plan. Andy carefully opened the door, checking if any Mugers were looking. With the coast clear, the players quickly and quietly exited the storage closet. With mop heads on their hair, their faces are covered making them unrecognizable, while their hair bands and rackets completing the disguise. They then carefully walked through the corridors, trying to blend in. The players also recorded the Muger grunts on their phones to copy their sound.

As they walked, Andy finally found a fire exit, leading to a first floor backdoor that will lead them outside. "There it is!" whispered Andy, as the players then quietly walked to the fire exit and opened the door. "I think there is a shortcut at the back garden outside that would lead us to Center Court. Let's march in line so we would look like a platoon." said Serena. Serena led the disguised players at the stairs going outside. Each of them managed to exit carefully, quickly going to the back fence's garbage box to help go over it. One by one they managed to climb over, eventually Maria having a turn.

"Ugh, this is going to ruin my dress!" complained Maria, as she struggled trying to climb up carefully.

"It's not only your dress that gets ruined if we get caught…" replied Serena. As Maria was about to jump over the fence, a loud ringing was heard.

* * *

" _RING…RING…."_

"Hey, what is that ringing sound?" asked Andreas.

" _RING…RING…."_

"Oh my…" muttered Maria. The ringing was loud that the Mugers heard it, making them go investigate outside.

"Wait, I thought you made your phone silent?" asked Andy who seemed grated. "I did…but I seem to forget to turn off my watch alarm for my appointment." answered Maria. "Well turn it off…they are going to hear us!" urgently said Samantha, as then Maria turned the alert off and finally managed to climb over.

After Maria, it was then Serena's turn: "OK, my turn…" As she was about to climb over the fence, Mugers unexpectedly rushed out of the fire exit door. Andy then began to worry: "Um, Serena, we are in big trouble!"

The Mugers eventually have caught up to Serena, unable to jump over as the Mugers may know other players have escaped. "Hey, is there something wrong?" asked Maria. "Those creeps have found me and Andy. You have to go!" whispered Serena back, but Maria refuses to do so. "But Serena…" said Maria, but Serena was persistent. "Go!" said Serena, as she carefully walked down from the fence back to face the Mugers with Andy, who yet hasn't had his turn.

"We're in deep trouble, what are we going to do?" asked an anxious Serena, seeing the Muger guards surrounding them. "They are all over us now…if we try to escape, we could be captured. I guess there is no choice but to fend these creeps off!" With no other choice, Serena decided to go for it: "I agree. Let's hurry…I'm not sure if they'll wait for us there."

The two were ready for a fight, as then a Muger tried to handcuff Andy. He then used his karate skills to defend himself and with his good anticipation, he also managed to evade a racket slash from a Muger. He also used his tarp as a whip. Serena meanwhile used her kick boxing skills – an active routine she does to stay fit – to beat up some of the Mugers.

Meanwhile, at the tall bushy garden, the other players were carefully treading towards the Center Court, making sure not to be noticed. "Let's hurry guys, Center Court is that way!" said Tomas. Before they moved forward, Caroline checked to see if everyone was accounted for: "I'll check if everyone is here….Tomas, Samantha, Andreas, Kevin, Aga, Ana, Marin, Jo, Mari…wait, where's Maria?"

Trying to find Maria, they then looked behind. There they saw Maria going back to the Tennis Center, stunning everyone. "MARIA! What are you doing? We should all be together." shouted Caroline. "But it's my fault they got caught! I have to get back and help them. Also, I'll take one of your rackets Jo, thanks!" said Maria, as she did take a racket, getting a "Hey!" from Jo.

Caroline tried to get her back: "Wait, Maria…." Maria, however have already made her choice: "Don't worry guys, I promise to catch up! I will also return your racket later, Jo, don't worry!" Maria then quickly ran back to the Tennis Center, making the others more worried instead. "What is she up to? One minute she tells my racket is useless, and now she grabs mine. She's crazy to get back there. Not sure what she's thinking." said Jo.

* * *

With refuge close to where they were, Caroline decided that they should continue: "I don't know what that girl is planning, but we're halfway already to Center Court. Let's go!" While the others looked worried, they agreed to go on for the betterment of the group. As the players hurried to Center Court, Maria instead hurried back to Serena and Andy. She climbed up to the fence to see what's going on, where she then found Andy and Serena surrounded by more Mugers. Both were seemingly tired from the battle and were gasping for breath.

"There are just so many of them!" said Andy, as Serena concurred: "I agree. I am not sure how long I could take it." As the two were cornered, Maria then suddenly jumped out of the fence, fending some of the Mugers with Jo's racket. "Ugh, you ruined my outfit! Now you're going to PAY, for real! AGGGGH!" With a warrior scream, Maria somehow defeated some of the Mugers just by herself.

"MARIA? What are you doing here?" said a surprised Serena. "Well, I came back because I feel I'm responsible for you two being stuck here. I felt I have to help you." answered Maria. "What about the others?" asked Andy.

"Well they seem to have continued going forward." replied Maria. As more Mugers surround them, Serena thinks that Maria's help may not be enough. "Thanks for you for your help and all, but I don't think us three are enough against these creeps." said Serena. The Mugers just kept getting closer to them, making Andy distressed: "Guys, we're surrounded with nowhere to go!" Trapped, Serena had no choice but to hope: "This sucks! This might sound crazy, I think we may need the help of the..."

Things looked bleak, when all of sudden, a glow from Andy, Serena and Maria's waists appear. The glow was so bright, the Mugers backed off as they were blinded by it. "What's happening?" Andy wondered, as the three then looked on the objects that just appeared on their waists. "What is this thing attached to my skirt?" asked Maria as the grabbed it, wondering what it is. Serena however, seemingly had an idea: _"Morph? Could this be?"_

Suddenly, two pillars of bright light fell from the sky. "Uh oh, they are going towards us!" told Maria. "Argh, what is that bright light?" said Serena. Ultimately, the pillars of light struck the ground, temporarily blinding the Mugers, who then distanced away from the light. The light eventually dissipated, revealing two familiar figures.

"Wait…Roger? Nole?" Serena questioned, as Andy was befuddled: "Where did you come from?" "Well, if I tell you, I will…" jokingly said Nole. "Kill me? Heh, that joke is old." answered Andy. Looking at the two, Maria noticed something familiar: "Hey, I noticed you have the same gadget as us." Looking then at the three, Nole also asked back: "Hey, where did you get those from?"

" _You all got this from me."_ a voice coming from the objects suddenly spoke. "Who are you?" asked Maria, as the mysterious voice replied: "I think you already know me. I'm Laverus Rocket." "Laverus Rocket? He disappeared a long time ago; no way." Andy said skeptically. "It's a long story Andy." explained Nole, as Laverus continued to speak.

" _Anyway, I have something that would help you defeat this Mugers. These Ace Morphers will turn you five into the Earth's best defence against the Faultissimo Armada. You will become…the Ace Rangers!"_ said Laverus. "The Ace Rangers? I thought they disappeared when the Armada was defeated a long time ago?" asked Serena.

" _They were. But a new threat has emerged, and a new generation must stand up! You would need Morph Medals to morph, and you can do that by throwing your less dominant hand up in the air, just like you are serving. A light of energy would then appear like a serving ball while saying the morph call "Serve it up!", then just grab them able to materialise them to Morph Medals. Insert the medal into your morphers, select the Morph App, then click the button on top to morph! That goes to you too, Roger and Nole."_ Laverus told the five.

"Amazing. Will these really turn us to rangers to defeat these…Mugers, you say?" asked Serena, as Laverus then confirmed: _"Yes, they will! I will meet you later, but first, defeat these guys, OK?"_ All of sudden, the call was cut, confusing the five. "What was that?" asked a shocked Maria. "I am not sure, but I think we should trust him." Serena responded.

"As surreal as that sounds, we have no other option. OK…let's do it!" said Andy, badly wanting to defeat the Mugers. "Great! Let's serve up some justice!" said Nole, as then Roger alerts the others: "Agreed! Are you all ready?" Nodding in agreement, they five are now ready to morph. "OK. Let's go!" said Roger.

* * *

All of them first put their right hands down, throwing them up like they are serving afterwards. "Serve it up!" they all said, as they then took their morphers from their waists to their hands, grabbing the energy next, as it then turned to Morph Medals. They then grabbed the medal and then inserted them to the Morphers, and then the sound _"It's Morphin' Time!"_ was heard.

After that, they pressed the Morph App. A flat image of a tennis ball with an emblem at the center then flashed in front of them, while a glow of light surrounded them. The images then enveloped the person behind each of them, only having the emblem remaining. The light then dissipated, unveiling the rangers now in their suits, as then emblem turned to their ranger symbol on their chest.

"Haha, awesome!" excitedly said Nole, as then Andy felt a surge of strength: "Yeah! I could feel that this armor would increase our chance to win!" "They're surprisingly comfortable, if not fashionable. Not only that, it seems we have swords! Functional!" said Maria, while Serena was just amazed: "Wow, I can't believe we are the new Ace Rangers!"

Roger on the contrary, felt at ease: "We do have the determination to win even when things look bleak. Now, we have to show our stuff, and defeat these creeps!" "You mean Mugers." corrected Andy, which Roger didn't care: "Whatever they are…they're going down!" "Right!" said the rangers, as they prepare for their first battle.

At that moment, the Mugers rose up, ready for another attack. The rangers engaged in battle, charging with their Razor Rackets. The rangers fought well, surprising Andy: "Whoa, it seems the suits enable us to increase our fighting abilities to the highest level! It's like we could beat these Mugers with no problem!" Nole then used his boxing skills (a routine he uses to improve his reflexes) to attack and defend.

Serena fought the Mugers with her kicks, while Maria used her "Battle Ballet" skills. "Why are you doing ballet?" said Serena. "It's not just ballet…its Battle Ballet! It is ballet with a bit of martial arts twist." replied Maria. "Power Pirouette!" Roger used his Razor Racket to beat the enemies, using a less direct approach. "What are tools for if you are not going to use it?" said Roger, attacking the enemies quickly.

Eventually, the Mugers were defeated, having the rangers celebrate. "Unbelievable, we actually defeated them!" said Maria. "We sure did! High five everybody!" said Nole.

As they were celebrating, Andy's phone then vibrated. Seeing that a message came from his brother, Andy wanted to leave urgently: "Guys, I think my brother is worried about me. Let's hurry up and get there!" "Well, I guess the Mugers shouldn't be a problem, but I think we should still go to the shortcut at the back." said Serena, as Roger agreed: "Well, I guess if it is the quickest way there..."

On outer space, a familiar mysterious spaceship looms, drifting large closely to Earth. Inside the ship, a mysterious figure sits on his control room, looking over on the troops training at the ship. Someone then entered the room, sounding worried: "Don, don! I have some alarming news to bring you from the Earth troops in Melbourne!"

"What is it General Ferron? I'm busy checking on the troops." the mysterious figure said, as then General Ferron gave an intelligence report: "I received some news from the troops at Melbourne that they have captured some new players and we will turn them to our troops momentarily. However, many of the people there were able to take shelter to the Center Court, which seems to be protected by a force field – for some reason, they managed to create a shield that blocks us while it lets the humans enter it."

"Well for sure they won't stay there forever. We have other places to invade anyway that are unprotected." said the mysterious figure. "But Don, that is not our worst problem." informed General Ferron, as then the mysterious figure asked "What is it?"

"Well, believe it or not, a troop of Mugers were defeated close to where some players got refuge. They said that five armored players fought against them and that they have swords as weapons." said General Ferron. "Swords? Armored players? What do these players look like?" the mysterious figure asked, as then General Ferron replied: "Well, they said that their suits looked…colorful."

From what he just heard, the mysterious figure shook up: "WHAT? I thought that they were already retired." "Well, I think they returned. And I think like what happened with Ketrac and on Earth 10 years ago, I think these rangers are different from the past. The first attack was just a scouting invasion, while some spies left on Earth to check on what is happening. It's true that after General Moyardi's defeat and the first invasion's surrender that the Ace Rangers didn't show up again. What should we do now?" asked General Ferron.

"Well, last time is just the tip of the iceberg. But now they would see the whole picture…they may send as many Ace Rangers at the can, but they won't see what I, Don Skeletoni Mafioso, have in store coming! Hahahahahahaha!"

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

Decided to finish editing Game 3 before editing Game 5 and 6. This was a bit easier to edit due to some of the parts already being in prose format, but adjusted some to fit spacing and such. Anyway, this has to be one of my favorite episodes as of now due to the introduction of a lot of players and of course the first fight of the current Ace Rangers as a whole. We saw they worked together to beat the Mugers as they try to get refuge at Center Court.

What will happen when the rangers get back with their families and teams? What will the rangers explain on not being with the other players when they tried to escape from the Tennis Center? What will the Faultissimo Armada's next move be as the Ace Rangers emerged again? Find out on **Game 4: Big Time Play**!

 _Characters:_

 **Rangers:**

 **1\. Serena Rainey** \- She is inspired by current World #1, 21-time Grand Slam champion and triple Career Grand Slam champion, one of the greatest female players of all time and the younger half of the Williams Sisters, American **Serena Williams**. She has a very powerful game, known to overwhelm her opponents. Her serve is probably her biggest asset and a great advantage in the women's game. Add with her good defense, she is quite a dominant force.  
 **2\. Andy Ferguson** \- He's inspired by the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon champion and current world #2, possibly the greatest British player of all time, **Andy Murray**. Known to be the stalwart of British tennis, he was able to break many British droughts, including 70+ years of no British man winning a singles Grand Slam, no British man winning their home Slam in Wimbledon, and recently not winning the Davis Cup. I made him a bit of a bit serious smart guy, just like Riley of Dino Charge.  
 **3\. Maria Krasavina** \- Her last name closely meaning beauty in Russian, she is inspired by the former world #1, 5-time Grand Slam champion and Career Grand Slam achiever, Russian superstar **Maria Sharapova**. Known for her utilizing her big frame to create big strokes, she is able to force many errors and create great winners from the baseline, bullying her opponents with ease. She also has a big serve, but had been quite erratic since she had a surgery on her shoulder. Said to be the most popular female sportsperson of all time, she also manages many business which includes a candy store named _Sugarpova_ and has endorsed many products.

 **Supporting:**

 **1\. Tomas Avery** \- Based on current top tenner **Tomas Berdych** , he is currently the best Czech player in the world. Known for his clean and big groundstrokes, he is able to create big winners with ease. Other than the Big Four he is the only current active player to have been in the semifinal of all the Grand Slams. His last name is a play on "Berd", hence Avery.  
 **2\. Ana Lukic** \- Based on former world #1 and French Open champion **Ana Ivanovic** ,she is known to be great aggressive baseliner. Famous for her _Ajde_ cheers (meaning "come on!"), she is also a quite popular player in the women's tour. She is known to have her up and downs during matches but when she's playing well she's a joy to watch. Her last name means "son of Luka (Luke)", as "Ivanovic" has "Ivan" on it, which roots from John (Luke and John are writers of the 3rd and 4th books of the Bible, respectively); thanks _Behind the Name_ for the help haha.  
 **3\. Caroline Petersen** \- Based on another former world #1, she is based on Danish player **Caroline Wozniacki**. She is known for her speed and backhand, being able to chase down many balls. She as yet to win a Grand Slam title though but she still hopes she would win one someday. Her last name is based on Wozniacki's father's name, "Piotr", meaning "Peter", which if added with the suffix "sen", means "the son of Peter".  
 **4\. Aga Krakowski** \- Based on the "Polish ninja" **Agnieszka "Aga" Radwanska** , she is said to be the trickiest player on tour to play against. Her speed and touch really annoys players, making her hard to beat. Like Murray she at times do shots that make other players think more and make them play more when they think they had it. Her last name is based on the fact that Radwanska was born in Krakow in Poland, and if added with "ski", it means "being born from Krakow" (again thanks to _Behind the Name_ for all the help hehe).  
 **5\. Andreas Alduino** \- Based on Top 50 regular Italian player **Andreas Seppi** , he is known for his good defensive game. His last name is based on the Germanic name _Aldwin_ , which means "strong friend" (with Seppi living in a region on Italy that speaks German I think it fits him - and the name has a bit of a reason that you have to watch out).  
 **6\. Marin Krajl** \- Based on the surprise 2014 US Open champion, Croatian **Marin Cilic** , he is known for his big groundstrokes and big FH, being able to create great winners from the baseline when in form. In a surprise run, Marin was able to win the US Open in 2014 and none practically saw it coming. He is coached by another Croatian, former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, who also had a surprise Slam run himself, being the only Wildcard to win Wimbledon (although he has reached Wimbledon finals before). His last name means "king".  
 **7.** **Jo Martel** \- Based on the 2-time Masters series winner and former Australian Open finalist, French player **Jo-Wilfried Tsonga** , he is known for his big FH, big serve and entertaining game overall. He is the first player to have a win against each of beat the Big Four in Grand Slams. Known not only for his dynamic game, he also has a great personality, showing a victory dance everytime he wins, usually ending with a punch in the air (interestingly, he looks similarly like the boxer Muhammad Ali which even he and his family noticed). His last name closely means "hammer", which I associate with Tsonga's hammer FH.  
 **8\. Samantha Wilson** \- Based on the 2011 US Open champion, Australian **Samantha Stosur** , she is known for her topspin game, creating winners from her FH. Her last name is based on the Wilson tennis balls commonly used on the tours while it is also one of the most common Australian surnames.  
 **9\. Kevin Hanson** \- Based on the current Top 20 player and currently best South African player **Kevin Anderson** , he is known as one of the biggest servers on tour, known for his big groundstrokes, having great one-two punch combos. His last name is based on author Hans Christian Andersen - look at the last name of the two and you could figure out why I chose that last name haha.

 **Villain:**

 **1\. Intelligence General Ferron** \- He is inspired by the "Spanish terrier" **David Ferrer**. In a game where height is might (I guess you could say that in a lot of sports haha), Ferrer is one of the most consistent players on tour, maximizing his ability and giving his all on every match, playing a grinding style of game that is very punishing if you are not focused and fit. He chases every ball and makes you do one more shot, repeatedly doing the same tactics to drill you to submission. I molded his personality kinda like a male Metal Alice if you will.

 _Other Thoughts:_

One of the hard things I tried to make in this episode is how I would orchestrate the players' escape. I felt that a simple disguise plan would be interesting, but I thought hard how to make them be noticed as they have already shut off their phones. Thought of maybe one of them sneezing, maybe one of them tripping, but they have to be _too_ careless to do it. So I decided maybe one thing some people could be bothered not turning off at times - their alarm clocks (particularly if someone forgets to readjust it haha).

I also hope I do Andy's Brit speak OK - if anyone have some tips I would gladly like it!

 _Disclaimer:_

Power Rangers is a property of Saban Brands. The characters are only inspired by tennis personalities and should not be treated as their real life inspirations.


	4. Big Time Play

**Game 4: Big Time Play**

The rangers have finally reached the Center Court safely, with the anti-Muger shield up so no Mugers are able to come in. "Here we are guys. Let's go inside!" told Roger to the other rangers. "Wait a minute! We can't go inside like this! They would know who we are! The Ace Rangers' identities are secret, so I think ours should too!" Serena replied. "Well, Laverus hasn't said anything to get us back to normal…" Nole sheepishly pointed out.

" _Oh, sorry about that."_ said Laverus, as he made a surprise call to the rangers. "Um, so how do we get back to our normal clothes? I must wear my regular outfit for the whole afternoon." inquired Maria, as then Laverus explained how: _"Well it is quite simple. At the end of your Morph Medal is a wedge section that you could pull. Pull your Morph Medal out of your morpher there, and you would automatically power down!"_ Maria was relieved: "Oh, convenient!"

As the rangers pulled each of their Morph Medals out of their morphers, a bright light flashed as they then demorphed and returned back to normal. "Ahhh, it's nice to see my outfit again!" said Maria. "There, we're ready to go inside!" said Roger, as then Andy remembered something: "WAIT, what should we say when they ask how we escaped those Mugers? Also, what if we need to morph again?" With the rangers having this dilemma, Roger figured an idea: "Hmm… Well, I have a plan…"

As the rangers entered the Center Court, they were first inspected by a security guard, checking their belongings. "Clear!" the security guard said, as they then entered the stadium. At the court grounds, the people found refuge inside. It startled the rangers, but they were all relieved to see their families and crews safe. Andy in particular was excited to see his family again.

"JAMIE! I'M HERE!" shouted Andy, as he kept Jamie's attention. As Andy kept waving his right hand, Jamie eventually noticed him: "HEY! COME HERE! MUM'S WORRIED!" Hurrying then to get back to his family, Andy's mother, Mum Judy, was relieved to see he was safe.

"Andy! I'm so worried about you! Where have you been? I already asked your fellow mates if they have seen you, and they said that you got left in the Tennis Centre against those aliens!" asked Mum Judy. "Yeah, I was there, but I was able to defend myself. Remember, I learned karate!" said Andy in jest.

Mum Judy, however was bothered still: "Well, but even then, I am not sure if that's enough to keep you safe. They are armed and dangerous. They have these bizarre racquet blaster contraptions that shoot explosive projectiles!" "Don't worry, mum. I don't know who they are, but mysterious figures defeated the aliens and got me, Serena and Maria safe." said Andy as he immediately tried to calm her down.

"Really? Could they be…? Well, whoever they were, I am just grateful that they got my baby back!" said Mum Judy. "Come on, mum!" Andy replied, blushing in embarrassment. Andy's mother then hugged him tight, as Andy kept thinking his mother may worry if she knew about him being a ranger. He thought he must do his best to hide his identity, not making his mother worry: _"I'm sorry mum, but I can't tell you everything."_

Serena meanwhile tried to find Venus, who played in the Legends category. "Vee!" said Serena, as then Vee (Venus' nickname) soon saw her approaching. "Sis! I'm so glad you are safe. How did you get here with all the Mugers roaming in the grounds?" Vee asked. "Mugers? That's what they are called?" Serena responded, trying to keep her being a ranger secret.

"Uh, yes. Did you forget the stories I have told you before?" Vee told Serena, who then told what happened to her: "Oh, yeah. Well, I did saw those…Mugers…and they got us trapped inside the Tennis Center. It's a good thing Andy Ferguson led me and those inside out to the exit by blending in with the intruders."

* * *

"Really? Haha, that's absurd. So how did you get out of there? I talked to Caroline and she said that you and Andy were left at the Center, and that Maria followed to help you." asked Vee. "Yes, I and Andy were stuck at the Center, and we fought those Mugers off." explained Serena. Vee was puzzled: "Fought them off? I know you know how to fight, but there are a lot of them there as Caroline said?"

"Uh, well, believe it or not sis…your stories were REAL! The Ace Rangers, um, reappeared and rescued us! They fought off some of the Mugers, but they disappeared after they brought us here." told Serena. Vee, being the former Yellow Ace, became suspicious of Serena's tale: "Really? But they disappeared after the first wave ended….are you sure that they are the Ace Rangers?" "For sure! They are donned in red, blue, yellow, green and pink suits. They saved us from the Mugers and brought us here!" answered Serena.

"Huh, from the sound of it they ARE the Ace Rangers. They're back...well, I mean, that's good news!" said Vee, still feeling unsure. "Yeah! It seems they only emerge when danger comes like this. Interestingly, you predicted that they may return – are you sure you're not psychic?" joked Serena, as Vee tried to respond: "Haha, well I just spiced up the story a bit, I mean some great stories have cliffhangers, right?"

"And we're living in a sequel, haha." Serena replied. "Haha, yeah. Well, I'm glad that you are safe! Mom is in the hotel and she's asking how we are doing." informed Vee, as then Serena told her that she's fine: "I'm fine! I'm just glad I got here!" "Yeah. Hugs!" said Vee. As the two sisters hugged, Vee felt that what Serena said didn't feel right. _"Ace Rangers showed up again, huh…it seems that Laverus and I need to talk."_ she thought.

Meanwhile, Roger and Nole greeted their work teams, both informing that they are fine. Maria meanwhile was scolded by her agent, Mr. Max Eisenhower, particularly after hearing that she went back to the Center, when she already left with the other players.

"Maria, what were you thinking? You could've been hurt, making you unable to play! Not only that, but your dress could be ruined much more…it is already wrecked!" Max told Maria, as then Maria tried to explain herself: "No offense, but why are you concerned about my outfit in a time like this? Anyway, I had to go back because my watch alarmed and we got caught because of it; I felt responsible for it, that I have to help Serena and Andy. Thankfully, these multicolored heroes rescued us and sent me here!"

Max was unconvinced: "Multicolored heroes, huh? I'll believe it when I see it." "It's true! Anyway, I don't see the problem with my outfit being wrecked. With these conditions, how could we even do a pictorial? There are creeps everywhere and there is nowhere to escape…" thought Maria. "I did ask the photographers if your appointment is cancelled, and it's correct that they postponed it. I do wonder how long we have to stay in here though." pondered Max.

The Center Court was buzzing with people talking, until an announcement was aired around the stadium: _"Good afternoon! We are sorry for the inconvenience, but patrons are strongly advised to stay in the Center Court premises for your safety. In a short moment, Tournament Director Daniel Cyrus is going to have a special announcement."_ Moments later, Daniel Cyrus appeared on Center Court, as he rose from a small stage on a podium that was lifted from the basement of the stadium.

"Hey, it's Mr. Cyrus!" said Serena. Mr. Cyrus then began to speak, as then the people hushed to listen. "Ladies and gentlemen, I know it has been a rough time today. The Faultissimo Armada – invaders from another planet that came here 10 years ago – seemingly have returned to strike fear among the people of Earth again. We must stay calm however, as the world leaders and the Worldwide Tennis Federation's Tennis Council members are currently having a discussion about this dire problem. As of now, all we can do is stay here, hoping and praying that this could end well, not panicking. I thank you for your patience!" said Mr. Cyrus, as he then left the court to the Center Court basement.

* * *

With the announcement now finished, loud buzzing was heard around the stadium. Many were shocked about the armada returning. Some were nervous about what is going to happen to them. Even when they try not to worry, there was still an uneasy feeling amongst the people.

"Wow, that's a lot to digest." said Serena. "Yeah, but as you said, the Ace Rangers are back…I think we're going to be OK." assured Vee. Adding to the tension, a mysterious video suddenly was transmitted inside the stadiums' video screens. "Hey, what's happening? Why are the TV screens looking weird?" wondered Serena, as at the same time all the rangers looked at the video screens, trying to figure out what's happening. "What the…" said Nole.

The people waited for the video to appear, as then a clear picture of a person sitting in a chair emerged:

" _Greetings to the people of Earth! My name is Don Skeletoni Mafioso! I am the leader of the Faultissimo Armada, conqueror of many worlds. This is my first time coming here, and I might say this is quite a fine planet. However, if you want to keep it that way, I would like to request someone to tell me the whereabouts of the Seed Core. It's an energy source said to maintain the balance of tennis in the galaxy and it seems that it is found here on Earth! My first wave was able to observe your planet, but they were defeated by your tennis warriors, the Ace Rangers. My armada wasn't able to get information about the Seed Core, but we are back to finally find the answers. Unless someone could tell where your Seed Core is found, we WILL keep target on your planet. If no one is able to give me details about it in the next minute or so, then you leave me with no choice..."_

The transmission ended abruptly, putting everyone into a shock. None of them knew about this so-called Seed Core, making them concerned about what is going to happen to them. Roger's older cousin and coach, Severin, was particularly alarmed: "Seed Core? What is that? He's demanding something none of us knows within a minute…that's crazy!" Roger tried to calm him down: "I know. But I trust we will get through this."

With a minute passed and no one giving an answer, Don Skeletoni decided to go on with his threat: _"Huh, no one wants to give answers? Fine then…"_ All of a sudden, a giant capsule from space was dropped by the Dreadful Default. The capsule's outer layers dissipated as it plummeted through the Earth's atmosphere, eventually dissolving into liquid goo, dropping to five Mugers that were close to the Center Court. The goo was then absorbed by the Mugers, turning them into giant versions of themselves. The enlarged Mugers suddenly began to rampage across the area, as one of them then targeted the anti-Muger shield, somehow destroying it.

Inside Center Court, the people heard the loud rumbling made by the giant Mugers. The video screens suddenly began showing a giant Muger trying to destroy the shield, creating panic among many of those inside, one of which is Mum Judy. "How is that giant destroying the shield – I thought we're safe against those creeps with that running?" she said, as Andy then realized something: "It seems the shield can't sort this big of a problem!"

The shield eventually was destroyed by the giant Muger, making Mum Judy terrified: "Oh my goodness, the shield is gone!" "Relax mum, there is no point to panic. Just, calm down…breathe." advised Andy. Mum Judy then started to inhale and exhale, trying to calm herself down. "Thanks Andy! That helped." she said.

All of a sudden, the rangers' Ace Morphers rang. "Hey, what was that?" asked Mum Judy. Not wanting to give tell his secret, Andy decided to create an excuse: "Um, nothing! Um, I need to get to the loo first…must spend a penny!" "On a time like this? Well, be safe!" advised Mum Judy, as Andy then reassured her: "I will mum!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the other rangers tried to find excuses to "take a bathroom break." "You're going to the bathroom now?" asked Vee. "Well you can't dictate when to go, right?" replied Serena, as she then hurried off. _"Something real fishy is going on…taking a bathroom break in a time like this? I kind of did that one time when…OH SNAP!"_ Vee thought, realizing she may know what is going on.

The five rangers then went to the comfort rooms, communicating with each other and Laverus in a six-way call. "Guys, great execution of our plan! It seems the bathroom excuse worked well." said Roger, as he then asked Laverus what to do: "Laverus, gives us the details!"

" _Rangers, as you may well know, the leader of the Faultissimo Armada has announced himself to the world. Not only that, he has transformed one of his Muger platoons into giant Mugers! The anti-Muger shields which are set up by the Tennis Council – with the help of some of its members being secret society members too – are just enough to protect against regular sized threats. I think maybe it's time to summon your Zords!"_ said Laverus.

"Summon our Zords? What are those?" asked Roger, as then Laverus explained: "Yes, Zords! Zords are big mechas that you could use for heavy duty problems like this!"

Suddenly, a loud noise was heard in the stadium – the giant Muger was able to fully destroy the shield, pulling the retractable roof out of the stadium. Panic ensued, as a giant Muger was looking from above, the people scared on what it could do to them. To make matters worse, the Don also sent troops of regular Mugers to the now defenseless Center Court.

"Andy? Andy? Where are you?!" shouted the worried Mum Judy, when suddenly she was approached by a Muger. "Don't you dare touch me! DON'T YOU DARE!" she said as the Muger was approached her. "ROGER?!" shouted Coach Severin, while Max tried to contact Maria: "Come on Maria, pick up!"

As panic ensued inside the stadium, Laverus hurried the rangers to morph. "Rangers, it seems that a giant Muger was able to break the shield and could go on a rampage inside the stadium! Muger troops were also sent to enter the stadium from above without the shield! You have to morph!" he said.

"But what about the Zords?" Nole asked. "Help those in the stadium first! With people panicking and debris falling from the roof, you need to help them immediately!" replied Laverus. "OK. Roger that." Roger affirmed. "You're dying to use that, are you?" Maria said with an amused look on her face. Roger reacted with a snicker, making the others groan.

"Whatever…are you guys ready?" said Maria. "Ready!" said the others, as they prepare to morph. "Serve it up!" _"It's Morphin' Time!"_ a sound from the morpher said.

The rangers morphed, and zoomed quickly out of the restrooms to check on the court grounds. Unknowingly to them, a person in the women's bathroom was seemingly spying the girls, seeing them morph – that person being Vee. _"I knew it!"_ she thought.

Chaos ensued around the stadium, but from out of the blue in streaks of light, the Ace Rangers emerged. "Could it be?!" wondered Mum Judy. "Whoa…" said Coach Severin. "What the rainbow?" said a bewildered Max.

The rangers, standing proud, were ready to fight against the Mugers troops. Roger, the Red Ace then gave orders to the others: "OK guys, this is our first big mission as team! Defeat these Mugers fast, and find safe places the people could take shelter. There are a lot of Mugers, but I believe in our abilities to defeat them! LET'S G…" Suddenly, Laverus interrupted Red Ace, reminding them about their new weapons.

* * *

" _I almost forgot…you may need additional firepower against these troops. That is where your individual weapons would come in handy! Each weapon has a different function that would be helpful for every type of enemy. Just press on the Weapon app in your morphers for your Ace Weapons to appear!"_ notified Laverus.

"Why didn't you tell us about that earlier, haha. Guys, let's give it a try!" said Nole, the Blue Ace. By pressing the Weapon app, their individual weapons emerged from their morphers.

"Whoa, mine are boxing gloves! Helpful during my training, for sure." said Blue Ace. "Mine seems to be… big spikes?" said Andy, the Green Ace. "Mine is a big hammer, haha. Awesome!" said Serena, the Yellow Ace. "Why does mine looks like a t-shirt cannon? _(blasts)_ that shoots, power blasts, it seems..." said Maria, the Pink Ace. "A staff, huh…Hiyah! Yahhh!" said Red Ace. "Wow, serious Rogie having fun, I see!" Blue Ace noted, as Red Ace scoffed it off: "Hehe. Anyway, NOW we're ready! LET'S GO!"

The rangers were ready for battle, as they then attacked the Muger troops. Red Ace used his Slick Staff to hit the Mugers, twirling it a bit to sweep across the Mugers' faces. Blue Ace jabbed the Mugers with his Giga Gloves, delivering the final blow in an uppercut. While fighting, Blue Ace particularly noticed the energy coming out of the gloves: "These gloves are on fire…literally!"

Yellow Ace used her Handy Hammer to pummel, bashing the Mugers along her way. After she defeated some of the Mugers, Yellow Ranger then focused on rescuing some of the people. "Hurry guys, find shelter!" said Yellow Ace, as she then continued beating up Muger troops.

Pink Ace used the Boom Blaster, blasting enemies with tennis ball-like energy projectiles. "You dared ruin my outfit and everyone else's? Now you're going to pay! ARGGH!" letting out her warrior scream, she relentlessly blasted each Muger she faced to oblivion. During her fight, a person was recording what was happening from their cellphone – her agent: "Wow, such fierceness! Blasting those creeps with her primal scream! Maria will surely like this. Maybe she should wear that outfit."

Meanwhile, Green Ranger was using his Sling Slasher to pierce through the Mugers. His main focus however, was to rescue his family. When out of nowhere a piece of debris was going to fall on his mother, he urgently shouted "LOOK OUT!" As he then raced towards Mum Judy and Jamie, he unknowingly activated the suit's super speed ability. Just in time, Green Ranger was able to push the two out of the way.

"You're safe now." said Green Ace to Jamie and Mum Judy. "Oh, thank you, Green Ranger!" said Mum Judy. All of a sudden, Mugers showed up and tried to attack the Fergusons. "Green Ranger, these Mugers were trying to get me! Don't let them get near us!" said Mum Judy. "Don't worry, I'll protect you!" Green Ace replied. Both the Mugers and Green Ace charged, but it was Green Ace who was able to take the first strike. In a blink of any eye, he destroyed the Mugers with a single slash.

"We thank you again! How could we repay you?" said Jamie. "Well, I heard that she was worried about her son. I have seen him close by and he's safe, and he said that he's going to meet you two later. He also said to not worry about him much, that he's capable of doing things on his own." Green Ace replied. "Well, OK. It's just that I care so much for him; that is all." said Mum Judy.

"I understand. I think that makes you a great and loving mother!" said Green Ace. "Well I appreciate that!" replied Mum Judy. "You're welcome! There are still more Mugers we have to stop…just get to a safe place OK?" said Green Ace. Mum Judy and Jamie then left as Green Ace continued fighting.

* * *

The rangers eventually were finally able to defeat all the Mugers inside the stadium, prompting Don Skeletoni to command the giant Muger to attack the inside of Center Court. _"So, you defeated my Mugers. No matter…giant Muger, attack the inside! Crush everyone on your path!"_ he commanded via the stadium's video screens.

"Oh no! That giant is going to step on everyone!" said Blue Ace. "I think we need those Zord things Laverus was talking about right now." Pink Ace thought. "OK, I'll call Laverus!" said Red Ace, as he then asked Laverus for assistance: "Laverus, how do we call on our Zords?" _"Oh yeah, your Zords! To call on your Zords, you will need your Ace Zord Medals. I will send them through your Medal Pockets."_ informed Laverus, as then a bright flash of light coming the rangers' Medal Pockets shone.

The rangers then took the new medals out of their Medal Pockets, amazed as they checked it out. "So this is an Ace Zord Medal! It seems mine is a chameleon." Green Ace observed. "Mine is a leopard!" noticed Pink Ace. "Mine is a…hammerhead shark? Is that the reason why my weapon's a hammer? That's crazy." Yellow Ace scoffed.

Blue Ace however was perplexed about his Zord: "Stingray?" "They do say stingrays are quite flexible creatures, so I guess it does fit you." Green Ace explained. "Nice! Sting-rays like a bee!" said Blue Ace. "Mine is a ram…well it's not a goat, but I'll take it!" said Red Ace, making Blue Ace react: "Talking about G.O.A.T. aspirations again? You're a long way dude, haha." "It's never bad to dream big, right?" Red Ace replied.

Before calling their Zords, Laverus mentioned an important detail: _"Don't forget guys, there is a second Medal slot that you could put your Ace Zord Medals in – no need to remove your Morph Medals!"_ "OK, let's do it guys…Second Serve!" said Red Ace, as the rangers then inserted the second Match Medal, their Ace Zord Medals, into their respective Ace Morphers. They then pressed the Zord app in their morphers calling their Zords, as the morpher voice then alerted _"Summoning Zords!"_

From out of a mountain, the Ram Ace Zord appeared. The Stingray Ace Zord and Hammerhead then emerged from the distant oceans, while the Chameleon Ace Zord and Leopard Ace Zord then came from the jungles. Monitoring the Zords was Laverus, checking as they arrive to Melbourne. _"Your Zords are fully functioning and ready!"_ told Laverus from their morphers. "OK. Where are they?" asked Red Ace.

All of a sudden, the Ram Ace Zord rushed to the giant Muger, knocking it down. "Whoa, what was that?" said Blue Ace. The Chameleon and Leopard Ace Zords soon arrived, attacking the other giant Mugers. "The legendary Ace Zords! Let's go outside and check it out!" said Yellow Ace. The rangers rushed outside to check their Zords, but Red Ace remembered he had to calm down the crowd inside the stadium.

"Wait a minute, guys…" said Red Ace to the others, as he then rushed to get back inside. "Everyone! Stay where you are! We are going to keep everything in control, OK?" Red Ranger told the people inside the stadium, as then Red Ace recalled the stage that was lifted to Center Court. "Everyone, I have a plan! Go to the Center Court stage, go down and stay in the basement until the coast is clear!" told Red Ace, as then the people followed his instructions to get to safety.

"Nice, hopefully everyone is safe for now." said Red Ace, as he then went back outside. Meanwhile, the other rangers outside checked out their Zords, seeing them fighting against the giant Mugers. "This feels like those Japanese movies…insane!" Blue Ace pointed out.

The Ram Ace Zord tried to rush against the giant Muger, but the giant Muger retaliated with its weapon in sword mode. As the Muger slashed the Zord, Red Ace became worried: "My Zord! Come on, you could beat it!" Even when the Ram Ace Zord was shaken due to the Muger's attack, it got back up and used its Hustle Horns to drop the giant Muger to the ground, ground pounding the giant Muger to bits later.

* * *

"Yes!" excitedly said Red Ace, as he triumphed on his Zord's victory. From out of nowhere however, a giant Muger was about to approach them. "Oh no, another giant Muger, and it is heading right at us! He's going to step on us!" said an edgy Green Ace. The Muger was about to step on the rangers, when suddenly, the Chameleon Ace Zord appeared.

"That Zord just came out of nowhere!" said Yellow Ace. "It's my Zord!" cried Green Ace, as then the Zord used its big tail to sweep the giant Muger off its feet and used its tongue to paralyze it. Using its Spectrum Stream, the Muger was finally destroyed, surprising Green Ace: "It could blend in AND has laser eyes?"

Suddenly, the ground trembled again as a giant Muger stepped on the Tennis Center garden. "What is that creep doing destroying the plants?" protested Pink Ace. "Hey Maria, look!" said Red Ace, as the Leopard Ace Zord appeared next, pouncing to the giant Muger. "I think it's my Zord! Um, just be careful with those plants OK?" said Pink Ace. The Leopard Zord then used its claws to blind the Muger, using its Clutch Claws attack to shred the Muger. "Ouch! That has to hurt." said Pink Ace.

"Three down, two to go! But wait…where's my Zord?" questined Blue Ace. The rangers wondered about it, until the Stingray Ace Zord emerged from the Yarra River. "Nole, there's your Zord!" shouted Yellow Ace.

The Stingray Ace Zord then attacked the Muger, hovering aroound resembling flight. Using its Tornado Tail, it defeated the Muger by piercing through it. "Wow, it seems that my Zord could fly too?" exclaimed Blue Ace in disbelief, as then Pink Ranger pointed out something odd: "That's crazy. Obviously stingrays live on water, right?"

"Well it's technically hovering, kind of like how stingrays look like their bodies float on water when they jump." Green Ace explained. He however wondered why it's Blue Ace's Zord: "That being said you would think this is my Zord, seeing my personal weapons pierce too…" "Who cares, as long as the Zords kick butt, it doesn't matter!" Blue Ace just scoffed.

With four giant Mugers defeated, a lone giant Muger remained. "Oh no, that giant Muger is going to destroy that bridge!" Pink Ace pointed out, as the last of the giant Mugers headed to destroy Cygnet Bridge. "No it won't!" Yellow Ace asserted, as she then saw the Hammerhead Ace Zord also jumping out of the river. Using its fin, the Zord fended off the giant Muger, who then retaliated with its sword. The Hammerhead Ace Zord then used its Hyper Hammer to even the score. "Come on, Hammerhead! Beat that giant Muger to a pulp!" said Yellow Ace, cheering for her Zord's victory.

With one giant blow from the Hammerhead Ace Zord at the giant's head, the last giant Muger was finally destroyed. "Yes! It is mission accomplished, I might say!" said Green Ace. "Whoa! That was such an adrenaline rush. I say bring on more Mugers to beat!" Blue Ace said in gusto. On the contrary, Pink Ace wanted a break: "That's enough saving the world for me today, though.""I agree. It has been a long day!" Yellow Ace agreed.

With his giant Muger troop defeated, Don Skeletoni became furious, deciding to rethink his next move: "Grrr! These Ace Rangers are still a burden on my back even on another planet! I have to back down and think of another plan." The Don then ordered the Mugers to retreat: "Troops retreat! We need a new plan!" The Mugers finally retreated, leaving The Aussies grounds empty.

"Wait, where did the other Mugers go?" asked Blue Ace. _"It seems the Mugers retreated..."_ told Laverus from Blue Ace's morpher. "Well, that was a quick invasion." Pink Ace thought, as then Laverus added to say: _"…for now, that is."_ "Oh…" Pink Ace replied.

* * *

" _For sure they will bring out more Mugers to cause chaos. Not only that, they will also send armada specialists that will try to cause trouble in different ways, hoping they will find Earthlings' weak points. They are called the Journeymen and the armada sends them one-by-one. They will stop at nothing to get their hands to the Seed Core."_ warned Laverus.

"Being a ranger is quite a big responsibility." realized Red Ace, although Laverus then told him some good news: _"Yes it is. However, it is not without its perks. Like, we can celebrate this victory with a pizza party…on the house! How is that?"_ Red Ace was pleased: "Pizza, my favorite! I always order that when I win a tournament." "As long as it is gluten free, right? I'm allergic to gluten." said Blue Ace. _"Don't worry; I'll also make one especially for you."_ Laverus replied.

"Nice, a pizza all just for me!" happily said Blue Ace. "That is you could finish it off…you look like you don't eat much." thought Yellow Ranger in jest. "I just have high metabolism, that's all! I bet I could eat more than you do!" bragged Blue Ace, which Yellow Ace just scoffed: "Whatever, haha."

"Thanks for the treat, Laverus! We will meet you there when we're ready…although where are you exactly anyway Laverus?" asked Green Ace. "Don't worry, Andy, I'll tell you how to get there." told Red Ace. The rangers went back to the stadium and demorphed in the bathrooms, as they then returned to their families and teams, much to their relief.

"Mum, I'm back!" said Andy, whose greeting was then received by his worried mother: "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! There was a big monster that destroyed the roof here, allowing the other troops to get inside! Some debris almost dropped on us too. It's a good thing an Ace Ranger rescued us!"

"I'm sorry, mum. Um, I just went to the loo, but then when a Muger got inside I tried to escape and went outside to hide. Suddenly I heard a bit of commotion, coming from these big robotic things that fought these giant monsters. After the giants were defeated, the other Mugers just disappeared and I decided to get back here when the coast is clear." said Andy. "Well, if that's the case, I'm glad you are just safe." said Mum Judy, who then gave Andy a big hug. "Ugh, I'mmm…..glaaaad….to see you safe….too." said Andy, suffocating a bit from his mother's hug.

Meanwhile, Roger talked with Coach Severin. "Roger, where did you go?" his coach asked. "Well, I was at the bathroom doing my business but it took a bit long that expected…if you know what I mean, haha." jokingly replied Roger. "Well I have to say, you missed a lot! A giant Muger destroyed the shield and roof and then the smaller Mugers wreaked havoc inside. Good thing the Ace Rangers came and saved us." said Coach Severin. "Oh, really." replied Roger, smirking knowing he's one of the rangers his coach was talking about.

"Where did you go Maria with all of the pandemonium going on?" asked Max, Maria's agent. "Never ask a woman's business in the bathroom!" replied Maria angrily, as she was offended about what she said. "OK, OK, I won't ask anymore. Anyway, while you're away you've missed a lot! Check this out…" said Max. He then showed the video of the Pink Ranger's fight on his phone, believing what Maria said.

"You're right, these multi-colored heroes do exist! I might say the pink one especially looks great even when fighting." said Max, receiving only a reply of "Really?" from Maria. "Yeah. I just hope she just tunes her warrior screams by a _tad_ bit." Max thought, in which Maria just then gave an angry stare. "What?" asked Max.

"Sis, I'm glad you're safe!"said Serena. "You too. You oddly took a long time in the bathroom…are you sure you just stayed there?" asked Vee. "Um, actually an Ace Ranger who saved me from a Muger when I was about to return here helped me get to a safer place outside. When the coast was clear, I decided to go back.""You sure, huh? Anyway, I'm glad you're safe. I'm going to text mom and say that we're OK here." said Vee. "Great!" replied Serena. After what Vee just saw, she knew that Serena was lying. _"Still not saying the truth, huh?"_ Vee thought.

* * *

With The Aussies back to normal, all of the players got back to the Tennis Center, only to see it without a roof. "It looks like they blew the roof off this place…literally!" said Serena. "Our stuff is inside there! How are we going to get them when they're repairing the Tennis Center?" grumbled Andy. "Well, being the Happy Slam they seem to renovate so fast…look!" said Maria, as she then pointed to the helicopters flying above, carrying a roof that would be used to fix the Tennis Center.

"Can't believe it. The roof is back like nothing happened!" said Nole. "Well, they have already experienced an invasion so these types of renovations may have been prepared." said Andy. "Still, it takes a lot of money to have such an insta-vation." thought Maria. As the sun sets, Roger decided that it's time to visit Laverus: "Well guys, while they're fixing the roof, don't you think we could go and meet Laverus?"

"Yeah, I'm excited! I would love to meet the legendary Rocket." said Andy. "Me too! I can't believe we can teleport to get there as you said, Nole." said Serena. "Well we found out the hard way at first, haha." said Nole. "Let's hurry up guys, let's go! Pizza par-tay!" said Maria. The rangers then hid in the back garden, teleporting using the Teleport app. "Serve it up!"

At Laverus Lair, the rangers celebrated with pizza. With pepperoni, ham and more, they were glad that were able to defend The Aussies from the armada. Washing it off with iced tea tops it all off. "Hey, pass the iced tea, please!" said Nole, while munching a slice of pizza. "Do you know that some flavored teas contain gluten?" Andy pointed out. "Don't worry guys. That iced tea is homemade out of freshly brewed tea added with real lemon juice." said Laverus. "Oh, nice! Us athletes always have to watch our health… _(grabs a slice)_ although having a day of indulgence might not hurt." said Maria, which then Serena replied with an "I agree!"

"Hey, Roger, how many have you eaten?" asked Maria, seeing that Roger have eaten a lot. With his mouth full, Roger was stuck in his own world, relishing his slice of pizza: "Pepperoni Pizza! Mmmmm…" Nole was quite surprised: "Wow, never knew that Roger's weakness is pizza." "It's like he's stuck in his own world now, haha." Serena also noticed. Roger kept munching, as then Laverus congratulated the rangers for a job well done.

"Great job, rangers! You deserve much rest. The Aussies would be delayed for overnight repairs, and I think play could resume tomorrow!" told Laverus. "Oh yeah, forgot about that…Roger, I have shown you what I can do and almost did beat you, but I will try my best to meet you at the final!" said Nole, as the other rangers being quite surprised that he almost beat Roger.

"We'll see about that. But yeah, I'm looking forward for that possible match." said Roger, as then the two then looked at each other and smiled, showing a newfound respect towards each other. "Hey! You know I could still beat either of you and win the title." Andy objected, making the other rangers chuckle. "Hey!" said Andy, not finding it funny.

As the rangers continued laughing, a person entered the room unexpectedly. "What a party we have in here." Said the mysterious person, as everyone's attention was on her. The rangers were in shock. "No. Way!" said Maria. They then looked at Serena, who had the most shocked face of them all; her mouth seemingly can't close.

"Hey, come join us here!" said Laverus. "Well, I think you forgot to invite me." the mystery person replied, having Laverus apologize: "Oh, sorry about that. This party is for these new Ace Rangers after a job well done. I think you have met all of them already…Venus." said Laverus. Vee replied: "I did. Talking about who I already met…Laverus, we have a lot to talk about."

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

To tell the truth I have been so busy on other things that I wasn't able to really edit this chapter. It may have took a long while, and I am kinda thinking of maybe not publishing Game 5 and 6 until I am sure about the direction the story is going, at least this part of the story is finished, and now we could see what happens as the rangers assembled together for the first time. Don Skeletoni is cooking something...what could it be? Now I wonder how will the rangers interact together more as they have different teams...

 _Characters:_

 **Supporting:**

 **1\. "Mum" Judy Ferguson** \- Based on Judy Murray, the real-life mother of Andy & Jamie Murray. The mother of the Ferguson brothers, she supported the brothers since they were kids in their tennis endeavors. She is quite caring, watching how her children play the game. However, she is a bit overprotective at times, particularly over Andy who is the younger brother, sometimes making Andy embarrassed in front of his colleagues.  
 **2\. Coach Severin** \- Based on Roger Federer's long time coach, Severin Luthi. He is Roger's much older cousin, he has coached him to become a great top player he currently is. Quite stoic, he doesn't show much emotion about things but does care about his ward. He still has his fun side at times, not afraid to bust-a-move.  
 **3\. Mr. Max Eisenhower** \- Based on Max Eisenbud, Maria Sharapova's agent. He is Maria's agent, taking care of her extra-competition matters like with promotions and such. He's quite a busy man and is the head of the Sports R' Us sporting agency, one of the leading sporting agencies. He is all business but does care for Maria's well-being. While they have a friendly business relationship, Maria and Max do disagree in a lot of things...leading to arguments that lasts a bit long.  
 **4\. Mr. Daniel Cyrus** \- Based on Craig Tiley, the tournament director of the Australian Open (if you notice the character name you could see why I chose that haha). He is the tournament director of The Aussies, and one of the head members of the Tennis Council.

 _Other Thoughts:_

The first Zord battle of the rangers are usually the only time we see the Zords battle the enemies by not forming the Megazord, so of course this is their best time to shine! After this we will start a new arc, the break between the hard court slam and the clay court season, **Set 2: Changeover**.

 _Disclaimer:_

Power Rangers is a property of Saban Brands. The characters are only inspired by tennis personalities and should not be treated as their real life inspirations.


	5. Some Assembly Required

**Set 2: Changeover**

 _Changeover – A pause in a tennis match during which the players change sides of the court_

 **Game 5: Some Assembly Required**

It was the last day of The Aussies. The repairs have been finished like nothing happened, as the two left standing faced off. Both Roger and Nole – the finalists – got to the finals easily, except for Nole having to go through a tight five-setter in his fourth round.

At the final, Nole was surprisingly great at the start, not showing any nerves in his pursuit of a first Aussies win. He won a competitive first set, but then Roger eventually caught up winning the next two. It did not make Nole deter even after he was down a break in the fourth set, as he was able push it to a tiebreak, recovering to clinch the set. The disappointment of losing the fourth set seemingly affected Roger, as he was broken early due to an unforced error in the deciding set. Nole was then able to hold on to all the momentum.

Later on, it was then Roger's turn to serve; an important one as he needs to win the game to stay in the match. With the immense pressure seeping into Roger, he went down 0-40, as Nole was able to grind out 2 points plus a winner. With a great serve, Roger managed to save the first match point. _"I must try and save this…"_ thought Roger, who in the brink of defeat recalled what happened during their practice. With steely focus on the next point, he was able to push it to 30-40. However, something amazing happened right after. Roger served out wide, a good first serve, when all of a sudden in a blink of an eye, the ball was returned. The return was so good it went in, never coming back.

"Game, Set and Match, Borkovic!" said the umpire, as Nole finally won against Roger in an official match. "I…did it?" murmured Nole to himself, as he then looked towards his crew. "YOU DID IT NOLE!" shouted his Coach Marion, as Nole just smiled towards his team, overjoyed that he won The Aussies beating Roger.

During the trophy ceremony, Pete Megalos presented the Magnus Shields trophy to Nole, while also presenting the runner-up plate to Roger. "Tough break, Roger, but still congrats to your incredible run!" praised Pete, as a distraught Roger received his plate. "Thanks." meekly replied Roger. The announcer then said "Congratulations to our two champions!" as the two finalists proudly presented their prizes on court.

"Congrats Roger, you also played a great match! I mean it." complimented Nole. "Um, thanks Nole. You played a great match too." replied Roger in dismay. "Hey, is there anything wrong?" asked Nole. "Nothing; just tired after our long match." said Roger with a smile, as he then pondered about what just happened: _"What did I do wrong? I executed my plan well, yet it failed!"_

Back at the hotel where Oracene – the Rainey Sisters' mother – was staying in, the Rainey Sisters were preparing to leave Melbourne. Serena, however was first readying for an appointment: "There, all ready for the winner's photoshoot!" said Serena, who just won the women's singles title against Maria in three sets the day before.

"You sure haven't forgotten something?" asked Vee. "Oh yeah, I forgot the brooch mom has bought for me a long time ago. It's kinda like my lucky charm!" answered Serena. "Well, you just not seem to leave without it!" said Vee, as then Serena put the brooch on: "There, now I'm ready! Gotta go!"

"Wait, Serena, before you leave, I have something to tell you." Serena then turned her head, waiting to hear what her sister wanted to say. "Remember that I had a talk with Laverus during your celebration? Well, it is about you being a ranger." said Vee. "Um, what about it, sis?" asked Serena. "Well, I said to Laverus that I really care for your wellbeing. When I became an Ace Ranger, me and my team faced tough battles against the armada. We got close calls against them, our lives always being at stake."

* * *

Understanding her sister's concern, Serena tried to reassure her: "I get it. Being a ranger is hard work. That being said, I'm not a kid anymore; I could look out for myself. And hello? I'm a four—um, five-time Grand Slam champion! I'm sure I could handle these tennis invaders."

"Well the armada is tough, especially their Dread Duels – even the best of the world would be pushed to their limit. If it becomes a sure life or death situation, I said you would have to call it quits."

Serena wasn't happy about what Vee said: "Umm, why? I mean I know you just wanted to protect me, but it's a given that a ranger has its occupational hazards. I'll be fine! I mean they have you, Laverus and Rusty to guide us. While me, Roger, Nole, Andy and Maria together make a great team." "Well, seeing how you impressively defeated the armada troops that came…" said Vee, who then contemplated about Serena.

" _Sigh_ , all right. You could still be a ranger!" said Vee after much thought. "Oh sis, thank you, thank you, thank you! I will not let you down!" said Serena. "Defend the Earth well, OK!" said Vee, as then Serena replied: "Just like how I defend Maria's missiles!" Vee just smiled on Serena's quip.

"Oh you, haha. OK, have a safe trip to the photoshoot!" said Vee. "I will! Let mom know that I have already left when she gets back her from her shopping spree. Toodles!" said Serena, as then Venus replied: "Bye sis!"

Serena then left the hotel with her team on their van. She then gazed upon the hotel from the van window, looking towards the hotel window. At the same time, Vee also looked towards Serena's van. _"Be safe, Serena…"_ Vee thought.

Meanwhile, up on the Dreadful Default, Intelligence General Ferron was preparing for the Faultissimo Armada's next attack. "With these modifications, I am able to create a Journeyman that has the ability to make players argue against each other! The ironic friendly rivalries will be a thing of the past!" said the general.

Suddenly, Don Skeletoni aired an announcement over the loudspeaker: _"Attention, generals…time for a brief meeting!"_ "Well, I guess it is show time!" said General Ferron, as he delivered his creation to the control room.

"Generals, as you may all know, a new threat arose that will try to foil our plans." said Don Skeletoni to his generals, all seated together in the meeting table. "A new threat? Pfff, I could defeat them with my right hand hidden behind my back." said the first general, seemingly having hubris against the rangers. Suddenly, his face turned around, showing a somewhat anxious, nervy persona: "Bu…but, didn't the rangers defeated the great General Moyardi? They're scary tou…tough."

It was Prime General Duscko of the Hard, the armada's hard court specialist. Known for his Fiery Forehand, he is very dangerous when he's at the right mood.

General Duscko, however, has a weakness – he has two different personas, each being the opposite of the other – one persona is one of a confident person, sometimes having too much of it. The other, however, is someone who is anxious and nervy, tentative on his actions. This behavior is called "flipping", where he "flips up" to change to his more arrogant persona, while he "flips down" to change to the more timid one.

"My General Duscko, you are right on both – you are capable of beating those pesky rangers, but we must always be ready for anything. That's why we will send Journeymen that would seek the weakness of the Earthlings and weaken their resolve. With their resolve being low, it enables us to get what we need!" said the Don.

* * *

"I concur, my Don, but the past rangers on Earth have vanquished Journeyman after Journeyman. How certain are we that the new Journeymen would?" skeptically said another general. "Don't fret, General Flopez. We have trained some of our troops to become excellent Journeymen. They are fitter, faster, stronger than ever before!" said Don Skeletoni to Prime General Flopez, the General of the Grass.

General Flopez is an interesting character. A romantic and a bit flamboyant, he's a charismatic fellow who has a way with words. A bit vain, he always wanted to look his best before he shows himself in public. His seemingly soft personality doesn't hold him back, however – his special attack, the Wicked Slice, troubles opponents on the slick grass.

His booming serve is the best in the armada, a big weapon on faster surfaces. "Sounds like a decent plan, but I think we need a Plan B. Their Zords and Megazords are going to pummel them one by one!" said the third general, Prime General Mugro of the Clay.

Wielding a razor single-handed backhand, he's known as "mister entertainer" in the armada. Like a typical Clayorcan, he prefers the slower courts of clay, giving him time to set up his biggest weapon, the Missile Backhand. He shows outmost loyalty to the Don, and yet he feels that the Don doesn't appreciate him. Envious, Mugro felt the Don respects the other generals more than him, feeling he's treated more like a simple Journeyman.

"Don't worry, General Mugro. Our troops have now been trained with special skills needed for the job at hand. I also have other contingency plans, but for now let's focus on the present. If all else fails however, I have a secret weapon in store, and only to be used when it's completed." assured the Don.

"Well I say send me there Don! The Aussies are over, which means weak players in weak tournaments! It's time to attack, baby!" said General Duscko. "Pause! Are you sure it is wise to send you there just before sending a Journeyman first?" asked General Flopez.

Don Skeletoni didn't think it was a bad idea: "That's not actually a bad plan…monitoring the Journeyman's actions on the field will help maximize our success!" General Mugro then had an idea: "Well Don, I also heard there is also a Latin Swing many Earthling clay courters participate in! Maybe I should go and check there." "Ugh, OK, go and check there." replied Don Skeletoni.

"Yes!" said General Mugro, who then thought: _"I'll show the Don how valuable I am to the armada!"_ General Flopez meanwhile also had an idea: "Well, if we are going with that plan…then let me survey the indoor tournaments also happening on Earth right now. I may be the best on grass, but I could also adapt to other surfaces."

"Good idea! That way we could cover all bases." Don Skeletoni agreed. "We thank you for your outmost trust Don, we won't let you down." General Flopez replied.

Ready to present his creation, Ferron immediately raises his hand. "What is it, General Ferron?" asked Don Skeletoni, as then General Ferron replied: "Don, I have prepared a Journeyman we could send on Earth." General Ferron's Journeyman then entered the room, making the generals take notice.

"Don Skeletoni, generals, let me introduce to you my creation…Rivitriol!" said General Ferron. "Rivitriol? What does he do?" asked Don Skeletoni, curious about the general's creation. "Well Don, creating nasty arguments between players creates chaos around the courts! With Rivitriol's Bicker Blasters, we will make the Earthlings go berserk, easily!" answered General Ferron.

* * *

"Easily, huh? I'll believe it when I see it." said Don Skeletoni. "I will prove to you how much help Rivitriol could be, my Don! Let me send him and see how it goes." said General Ferron. "OK. With the players fighting against each other, there will be less unity. And when there are cracks, it will be easier to invade the planet. Deploy him, immediately!" said Don Skeletoni. "Will do, my Don." replied General Ferron.

"What about us? Surely we're not left out of the fun!" asked General Duscko. "Not yet. I will only send General Ferron to join Rivitriol. I mean he _is_ his Journeyman." Don Skeletoni replied. The general grumbled in frustration: "Argh, fine… _(flips down)_ …I mean, I do have a bad fe…feeling about this..."

With the Journeyman ready to deploy, the plan has been set. "That settles it! General Ferron and Rivitriol will go to Earth and spread discord among the humans. That is it for now, you are all dismissed!" said Don Skeletoni. "Yes, Don." said the generals, as they and the Journeyman then left.

All by himself, Don Skeletoni pondered about his other plan: _"Let's see if my strongest members will finish these rangers…if not, then I have no choice but to bring out Plan V. With its creation, the Ace Rangers' demise will be ensured!"_ He then gave out a big sinister laugh, as Rivitriol and General Ferron then left the ship on a transport pod, landing to Earth.

Days have passed and the rangers have returned to their respective homes, resting themselves and training for their next tournaments. Roger in particular was working hard with his team, especially after losing a tough final against Nole.

" _How can I lose against him…I have troubled Nole so many times and I end up winning. How was he able to turn the tide against me? I'm so mad right at myself right now and I can't let that happen again…"_ thought Roger. Training alone in his house, he kept on trying to adjust his game to overcome Nole's new tactics.

When he took a break, Roger checked on his Ace Morpher, instructed by Laverus to check from time to time for calls. "Hmm, it seemed Laverus left a video call…" he said, checking on his morpher.

" _Rangers, meet me at the time you are available. I will give you your upcoming mission, the moment you are all here."_ said the message. " _Sigh,_ OK…time to meet up with the other guys." said Roger, not eager to see Nole for the moment as he then teleported to Laverus Lair.

As Roger got to the lair, he noticed that it seems he's the last ranger to arrive. Seeing the others irritated about him being "late", Roger apologized. "Sorry guys! From the looks of your faces you all have arrived much earlier." he said.

"Yeah, we did." said Maria. "I got here an hour ago. Good thing Laverus brought us snacks while were waiting!" said Andy. "In fairness to Roger, we weren't given an exact time to get here." said Serena. "You might be busy so I thought to let you come here at your own time – that is, before sunset." replied Laverus.

Maria then apologized to Roger: "Yeah. Sorry Roger. I was the first who got here around 2 ½ hours ago and Serena just arrived shortly after. Let's say just the two of us? Awkward." "Why is it so?" asked Roger. " _Sigh_ , well as you all know, we're not exactly in the best of terms. When I arrived here and saw Maria, I just kept quiet and did my own thing."

* * *

"Yeah. We really didn't talk much after the women's finals due to the _incident_." said Maria. "Ah, I think I saw it in the news! It was during the deciding set. Maria had a break point at the start of the third set. The ball just touched the baseline but was called out. Serena was able to have her racket on it, but it was so low that it was deemed unreturnable." recalled Roger.

"Yeah. I then challenged the call to check if it was really out, but it was said to be in. The umpire said we should play the point again, but I argued that the ball was impossible to return and I should've gotten the break." explained Maria. "However, she was arguing about it oh, so, long…she seemed stalling for time that I told her to just let it go." said Serena.

As the two argued back and forth, Laverus decided to break the two up. "STOP IT! You two have been arguing so long, telling the other was not being a good sport. I watched it and both of you had times of being unsportsmanlike to each other. I know you both promised a friendly final, but emotions could even overwhelm the steeliest of players." he said, as he tried to calm the two down.

"You know what, let's have a truce for now. It's been so stressful these few weeks that we need good vibes for the mission." thought Maria. "OK, fine. Oh yeah, what's the mission about?" asked Serena. "Well I'll tell you when we get to the Seed Core room. Come on!" said Laverus, as then Maria went giddy: "OK. I'm quite excited!"

As the rangers were about to go, Nole noticed that Roger looked unhappy, walking slowly. "Hey Roger, is there something wrong?" asked Nole, as Roger then flinched. "AH! Um, uh, it's nothing! Just a bit tired after training." Roger replied.

"Ha, I just know how much of a busy bee you are! Anyway, I'll save you a seat!" said Nole, as he sprinted to the meeting room. Roger smirked – while he's still not at ease with Nole, he was still grateful with the gesture.

Inside the Seed Core room, Serena, Maria and Andy were briefed about the events that happened in the war in Ketrac. "You have to be kidding me…" said a skeptic Andy. "You're an alien?" asked Serena. "I may be from outer space, but I still act human like you all." replied Laverus. "Well that's the bombshell of the day…" said Maria.

"Relax guys, he's on our side." Nole assured. "Anyway, now that I have all told you about my history, I will now tell you that it is not just the Seed Core they're after." told Laverus. "Wait, if they're not only after that, then what they are after?" asked Nole.

Laverus then told the rangers about the armada's other plans: "Controlling the Seed Core is their ultimate goal, but to achieve that they have to obtain extraordinary power. As I said before, they recruit members though Dread Duels. To fuel and create dark spaces however, they would need negative energy, called tennis nega-aura – aura that exudes when negativity takes over a player. From cheating, unsportsmanlike behavior, injuries, extreme fatigue…they all give the armada energy to create the dark spaces that trap players in Dread Duels."

"That's horrible! I mean, all players experience down moments during matches –it's seems almost impossible for nega-aura to be stopped." said Nole. "Yes! However, good always trumps the bad in tennis, and at the end of the day good aura always shines through. That being said, the armada forces players to bad situations, figuring out weaknesses, creating more nega-aura that makes them stronger." said Laverus.

Maria and Serena, after hearing what Laverus said, felt regret after hearing what Laverus said. "Yeah, maybe I should've been calmer during the final. Now I feel terrible..." said a frustrated Maria. "The damage has been done. No need to dwell in the past. What is important is now, which is stopping the armada from getting more of it. And only you rangers could do it!" said Laverus.

* * *

As Laverus finished briefing, the rangers realized the enormity of their responsibility – Andy puts his hand on his chin, while Maria bit her nails, both looking a bit unsure. However, Nole then spoke. "You know what, it's such an honor that we were chosen to be rangers! I really think we could do this together, because we have already proven we could. With Laverus and us five, fighting the armada would be easy! Can I hear a big _adje_?"

"You know what, what is life in tennis if there is nothing to live for?" said Andy. "I agree. Count me in!" Maria replied. As the rangers have finally accepted their destiny, they let out a big _"Ajde!"_ , as the five finally decided to officially team up. "I am glad to hear it!" said Laverus. "Now, because you all have different crews and schedules, I have a plan so that all of you could be together as just players." he continued.

A week has passed, and the Worldwide Tennis Federation's "Academy on Tour" program was again about to commence. While most players have already finished their training in tennis academies, the program aims to explore other facets of the game. Tackling things not usually paid much attention by players, the program helps them become more understanding of the hardships of the tour and become better examples for the sport.

While the academy is almost a year-long program, it doesn't stop its player pupils from tournament participation – as the name suggests, the academy travels around the world to select tournaments, different every year. They may play the tournaments they visit, but if they don't, they must assist in keeping the tournament in check. Waived travel and lodging expenses are some of the perks for being accepted.

Players who are ranked in the Top 100 (both men and women; in singles and doubles) at the end of the previous year are the ones eligible to enroll, but only 16 players (8 men and women each) are chosen by the federation every year. Lots of players want to enroll, but it was only this time that the five rangers decided to try doing it.

Less than a week before classes started, Maria received a letter at her house. "It's time to show who's the boss in class!" said Maria, who just received her entry letter to the academy. Meanwhile, at Serena's house, another entry letter arrived _"Congratulations! You have now been accepted to be part of the Academy on Tour program!"_ "Well, back to school for me!" said Serena, as she read the letter.

Like the girls, the rest of the soon-to be player pupils prepared to leave for the academy, including Andy who packed up his bags in his room. "There, all ready. Now time to say goodbye to the folks…" said Andy, as he then bade his mother and brother goodbye. "Be safe, son! Don't forget to sleep right!" Mum Judy told Andy before he leaves. "Hey Andy, bell once in a while, OK?" said Jamie. "I will! Cheerio to you all!" said Andy, as he then left the Ferguson residence.

It was 1st day of classes, and the students have arrived at the academy's first stop – Montpellier. At the general assembly, the students were greeted by the headmaster, Mr. Topher Kermit: "Good day, player pupils! Welcome to the Academy on Tour! You may be professional players that trained playing tennis you're whole life, but here you will learn life tennis beyond the court. I hope you will all have a good time and become better professionals when this year's program is finished!"

Mr. Kermit then introduced the instructors one by one. "I will now introduce to you the last instructor for this year's program." he said, when he suddenly got interrupted by the instructor at the stage wing, who then whispered something to him. "Oh...well, it seems our instructor wanted to introduce himself personally." he said, as the last instructor then walked to the center stage. "Hi! I'm Mr. Pete Megalos. But you can call me Pete!"

The students then made a buzz, knowing that the most successful player in history is going to teach them. "Is this for real? THE _Mega Man_ is going to be our teacher? Sweet!" said Nole. "Well, this will be my first time teaching here, and I might say I am very excited to share my experience with you all! Some of you here might already have their big breakthrough, but there is still a lot you will learn." said Pete.

* * *

It was first period, where Pete was actually the instructor. He then made a roll call of the students, checking the attendance.

"Marin Krajl?" "Present!" "Andy Ferguson?" "Here, sir!" "Aga Krakowski…" "Here." "Angie Sorge?" "Here!" "Ana Lukic?" "Present!" "Nole Borkovic." "Here!" "Serena Rainey?" "Here!" "Caroline…Petersen?" "Here!" "Roger Davis?" "Present!" "Maria Krasavina?" "Here...ready for a day of learning!" (Maria said with a beaming smile) "Samantha Wilson?" "Here!" "Tomas Avery." "Here!" "Vika Levin?" "Um...here!" "Jo Martel?" "Present!" "Bob Wright." "Here! _(snickers)_ " "Mike Wright?" "Here! ( _snickers)_ "

The roll call was finished, until Marin raised his hand. "Mr. Megalos…" said Marin. "Call me Pete." "OK, Pete…the twins are making a prank, actually – the first one was Mike, the second one was Bob." The twins then laughed, high-fiving each other. "You Wright Brothers…I have to say, that was a good one. Don't do that again, though. You're not kids." reprimanded Pete. "Sorry!" said in apology by the twins at the same time.

During recess, the rangers seated together in the cafeteria. "Well, it seems The Rocket's plan worked." said Roger. "I agree. Being here together is a perfect way to for us to meet and blend in." said Serena. "That being said, surely schooling as Slam champions make us look…suspicious?" Nole wondered.

"I don't think so. With many of the expenses being paid for by the school, I say we just look like penny pinchers, haha." scoffed Andy. "I mean, I never thought of enrolling here, but I think it would be a good experience to learn what makes the tour tick." he continued.

"It's great that Laverus pulled some strings...he did say that the academy is run by the secret society. They knew what our mission was, and we are now assembled!" said Maria. "It's great to be back in school, anyway – ah, the memories…" said Maria. "Surely you are not thinking of becoming the popular girl in school again, are you?" asked Serena. "Hey, I am already one, haha." Maria replied. " _Sigh_ , anyway let's go to check the courts!" said Serena.

To watch a match, the rangers went to one of the stadiums. "Brrr…it's chilly inside!" said Maria. "Well it _is_ an indoor tournament." Serena replied. During the match, Maria spotted a familiar face. "Hey! It's Andreas." she said. "Who's he playing against?" asked Nole. "He's playing against Simone. I heard they are good friends." Maria replied.

"Hey Serena, how does it feel facing someone you're close with?" asked Nole. "It's interesting. Of course you don't want both of you to lose, but as professional competitors we know that we have to do our best every time we play. At the end of the day, we all know that it is just a game and at the end of it we know we'll still be friends." Serena replied.

It was the end of the match, and the two players were about to shake hands. Meanwhile, somewhere in the seats, a hooded figure was seemingly holding a camera. "What? It's over already? Well let's add a bit more fun, in this one-on-one!" it said, as a mysterious blast coming from it hit the players.

All of a sudden, the competitors began to argue with each other. "Hey, you took so long to serve!" said Andreas. "Well you took so long taking a medical timeout!" Simone replied. "Well I had persistent back problems, OK!" Andreas retaliated. Simone however, just scoffed it: "Yeah, right…"

* * *

The commotion confused those who were watching the match, including the rangers. "Huh, weren't both chummy during the match?" Serena wondered. "Yeah, they were!" said Nole. "I agree. Something is going on…" said Roger.

As the two kept arguing, the umpire decided to stop it. "Hey, what is going on with you two? Cut it out!" said the umpire, trying to stop the competitors' unusual behavior. As the umpire then forced to split up the players, a dark energy between them suddenly grew, blasting the umpire out of the two's way. Shocked, the people inside the stadium started to panic, scrambling to leave the stadium as quickly as possible.

"Did you just see that?" said Nole, as then Roger's Ace Morphers rang. Roger then answered Laverus' call discreetly. "Laverus, what is happening on the court?" he asked. _"I seem to detect a big concentration of nega-aura_ _in the courts, and for some reason it came from somewhere inside that stadium. I suggest you use the Scan app to find a nega-aura trail, as I feel an Armada Journeyman is causing this."_ Laverus replied. "Roger, were on it!" said Roger.

Surprised about the possibility, the rangers stood up and tried to search for the troublesome Journeyman.

Moments later, Roger's morpher eventually pinged. "Wait guys, my morpher just found something." he said. "It seems to be coming from…THERE! On the 2nd row…" he continued.

"Do you mean that hooded guy?" asked Serena. "Well according to the scanner, he is!" Roger replied. "Well what are we waiting for, it's morphin' time!" said Nole. "Well, let's hurry and find a safe spot to morph first." said Andy. "Right!" Maria replied.

The rangers rushed to the now empty announcer's box, as they then morphed: "Serve it up!" With the rangers now morphed, they were ready to go into action. "Let's hurry!" said Red Ace, who with the other rangers hastened to stop the Journeyman.

As the rangers got back to the stadium, only the hooded figure was left inside. "Hey, you, stop right there!" shouted Red Ace to the hooded figure, who was seemingly enjoying watching the argument. "Um, Roger, he isn't doing anything." Blue Ace replied.

"Oh, come on!" said Red Ace, who seemingly was annoyed by the correction. "Well, sorry! No need to get wound up like that." Blue Ace replied. "Hey, quit it!" said Green Ace to the two. "Anyway, why are you still here? The rest have left panicking, but you're sitting pretty!" asked Green Ace to the hooded figure.

"What? You mean you're not enjoying this? Well, if you don't want to be spectators, then you should become the competitors!" said the hooded figure, as it then shot five big blasts towards the rangers. "RANGERS, RUN!" said Red Ace, as they tried to avoid the rapid firing blasts. Helped with their improved speed, the rangers were able to evade. "Argh, stop being chickens and freeze right there!" said the hooded figure.

"We can't just keep avoiding it like this!" said Yellow Ace, as the rangers kept running. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree!" said Pink Ace. "The monster's energy will sure be depleted. Let's keep it up until he's done." said Green Ace. "Surely we must attack though?" said Blue Ace. "But how? He's firing so fast that we can't make a move!" Red Ace replied.

A few moments later, the blasts started to slow down. With an opportunity to attack, Red Ace shouted "Razors, NOW!", as the rangers sprinted towards the Journeyman while avoiding the blasts. "So, you are going head on 'ay? Then it's time to bring out the big guns!" said the Journeyman, who then removed his hood, revealing himself as Rivitriol.

* * *

Many more blaster tentacles emerged, merging to create bigger blasters. "LOOK OUT!" shouted Red Ace as the rangers barely avoided the blasts. "Phew, that was a close one!" said Blue Ace. "Not probably the best idea." said Red Ace. "Well, it's the best I could think of right now..." Blue Ace replied.

As Rivitriol tried to fire his blasters, he noticed that there was no energy left. "Shoot, I'm out of ammo! No matter….it's time for Plan B!" he said. He then threw a tan-colored, tennis ball-like device in the air, suddenly making Mugers appear on the stadium.

"Oh, not them again!" said Pink Ace. "Mugers, attack!" commanded Rivitriol, as he then walked away, disappearing. "Hey, where did that monster go?" said Yellow Ace. "I'm not sure, but we still have some work to do!" said Red Ace, as they braced themselves to face the Mugers.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

Hi! As you may have noticed, I haven't uploaded a new chapter since last year. Some additional errands were done every day, and there was a time I just stopped with the my story. Because of that, it wasn't until now that I finished writing, editing, and double-editing episodes 5-7. Some writers block did happen in how to forward a story, so I hope the story is good, if not great, haha.

After the intro arc, we will now have a spotlight arc, where we will see the introduction of the **Fautlissimo Armada Generals** , their motive, and what the Ace Rangers have to do to stop them. We also see here the conclusion of The Aussies, the introduction of the Academy on Tour (showing how the rangers will meet up in public), the introduction of other players, and their first Monster of the Episode.

We also see here the conflict of Maria and Serena. Things on-court can get heated, but at times they can go beyond that. We will learn that their animosity is bigger than their rivalry on court, yet they have to settle their differences in order to work as a team. In an ironic twist, can these two and the others defeat Rivitriol, the Journeyman of arguments, and find agreement themselves?

Find out in the next episode, **Game 6: Clashing Styles**!

 _Characters:_

 **Villains:**

 **1\. Prime General Duscko of the Hard** \- He is the armada's Hard Court specialist. He is known to be ruthless, executing his plans with great focus. Merciless, he wants to make sure his enemy will have no hope. His weakness however, is that he has a seeming split personality - by "flipping down", he turns timid and anxious, making him unfocused where at times it affects his game, and his plans.

He's inspired by former World #7 Fernando Verdasco, he's said to have one of the most entertaining games if his game is on. However, he is a quite an inconsistent player (and at times he can go up and down mentally in a match, just like General Duscko) also do to his risky game, that he can beat top players, but can also likely lose to players, on paper he should win.

 **2\. Prime General Flopez of the Grass** \- He is the armada's Grass Court specialist. While Duscko exercised ruthlessness, General Flopez exercised finesse. While he does have the same focus as General Duscko, he's typically more flexible on his plans. He's a vain character, who is not easily pleased by simple beauty. At the outside he may be like a French romantic, but as a Prime General, he is quite dangerous, as he is known to be the most skilled slicer in the universe.

He's inspired by the evergreen Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, who was not only admired because of his unique lefty serve (especially on grass), but also for his great looks. In addition to 6 career singles titles, he has won 3 doubles titles, including French Open 2016, teaming up with fellow Spaniard Marc Lopez (in which he has no relation to). He also has the record for the streak of Grand Slams attended, now at 63 straight.

 **3\. Prime General Mugro of the Clay** \- He is the armada's Clay Court specialist, an interesting fact as he's a Clayorcan, known for their clay court expertise. While he is not the Don's right hand man, he does at times act like one, wanting to get the Don's approval. He doesn't get respect the others generals get however, looking at him as inferior to them. Still, he's a loyal general, wanting the success of the armada, but especially the Don.

He's inspired by the 13-time ATP Tour title winner - all played on clay - Nicolas Almagro, one of the most beautiful one handed backhander in the game. While he does have great success on clay, he does tend to struggle on other surfaces. Still, he has reached the quarterfinals in the 2013 Australian Open and in the 2012 Olympics (which was played on grass). He has a big game, and at times, a big temper, and is one of the more entertaining players to watch on clay.

 **4\. Rivitriol** \- A Journeyman developed by General Ferron, he is able to create arguments among players.

 **Academy on Tour Students:**

 _(In addition to the rangers, Marin Krajl, Aga Krakowski, Ana Lukic, Caroline Petersen & Jo Martel, these are the other students that are in this year's class.)_

 **1\. Angie Sorge** \- A hardworker, she likes the nitty gritty of the game. She may not have the biggest weapons, she is said to have a great forehand, and also is quite quick on the court. That combination makes it hard for her to be blown away, making patience a key on beating her. She may be bit of a tomboy, but she does have a feminine side being very particular about the scrunchy she's wears during a match.

She's inspired by Angelique Kerber, the 2016 2 Grand Slam winner and year-end #1 - the oldest to first reach it in the women's singles game. After an unexpected win against Serena Williams in the Australian Open, she had an incredible 2016 not only winning major titles, but also reaching many finals, including the Olympics.

 **2\. Vika Levin** \- A smart girl, few only knows how good her ideas are, being a bit socially awkward. She doesn't have many friends, but that fact does not let her down.

She's inspired by former World #1, and 2-time Australian Open champion, Victoria Azarenka. Azarenka is said to be one of the most successful players of the recent years, and is said to have a fighting spirit as big as Serena and Maria. Her career was halted a bit due to injuries and a pregnancy, but she had shown signs of great play at times.

 **3\. Bob & Mike Wright** \- Twins, these identical brothers like to create mischief outside the court. On-court however, they are said to have one of the most in-sync doubles partnership in the game, seemingly knowing what the other player is doing, and making their combination work to near perfection.

The Wright Brothers are inspired by Bob & Mike Bryan, the most successful doubles team ever. With 438 weeks as #1 and 16 Grand Slam titles as a partnership, they had shown a dominant display of doubles tennis not seen before.

 **Supporting:**

 **1\. Simone** \- Andreas' best friend, they have known each other since their junior days. They have played doubles together, winning two titles. He's inspired by Simone Bolleli, an Italian player and 2015 Australian Open men's doubles Grand Slam winner, and with Fabio Fognini were the first all Italian male pair to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era.

 _Other Thoughts:_

When I think about it, I wondered if this episode could have been a single episode with the next one. With the many introductions and exposition of different elements, I thought making it a 2-parter would make it better paced. Will try to shorten 1 episode to one solid story though, although multi-parters will appear. Will be thinking of a way to better outline the story though and hope it would make a more interesting story.

 _Disclaimer:_

Power Rangers is a property of Saban Brands. The characters are inspired by tennis personalities and should not be treated as their real life inspirations.


	6. Clashing Styles

**Game 6: Clashing Styles**

As the rangers were about to confront the Journeyman Rivitriol, the Journeyman fled after using a Muger teleportation device, called the Muger Ball. From that, Mugers came out, ready to fight the rangers. "You know I haven't forgotten what you did two weeks ago, you mopheads!" said Pink Ace, bearing in mind when the Mugers messed up her outfit. "I haven't forgotten, either…" said Green Ace, as he then glanced towards her.

"Weapons…activate!" the rangers said, as they then charged towards the Mugers. Blue Ace first used his Giga Gloves to defend against the enemy's racket weapons, surprisingly strong against their sword-like weapons. "Wow, these gloves are sturdy." he said.

However, a horde of Mugers then suddenly surrounded him, attacking him all at once with their rackets. "Ahhhh!" groaned Blue Ace as he crouched, as his gloves then instantly released a shield-shaped force field. "Whoa." he said in amazement.

"Cool." said Blue Ace, as he then charged towards the Mugers. "AGGGHHH!" he roared, as he then knocked out the Mugers with his gloves, like a bowling strike. As the shield then slowly waned, the Mugers also started to recover. Blue Ace then prepared for the offense. "Hey, why not face me one–by-one?" he dared, as each of the Mugers then attacked him. Evading their attacks and countering them with different techniques, he was able to knock out all but one.

"Hey, come at me!" challenged Blue Ace to the remaining Muger, as both then tried to make their winning strike. The Muger made a stroke, but missed. With a straight jab, Blue Ace knocked out the Muger for a clean sweep. "That's what you call a pull counter! WHAT!" he said in victory.

Yellow Ace meanwhile used her Handy Hammer to smash the Mugers. Using the tip, she then thrust it to knock one out. "Time to take it for a spin!" she said as she whirled her hammer. Knocking out the Mugers in a dizzy spin, she then prepared for her final blow. "Let's shake things up!" she said, as she then bounced up with her hammer off the ground.

Pink Ace in the meantime blasted off Mugers with her Boom Blaster. "Will you pay the outfit you ruined?" she asked a Muger, who then shrugged. It angered Pink Ace, who then shoved the Muger out of her face. She then blasted the Muger, and continued attacking more with destructive fury.

The ground shook with Yellow Ace's finisher, as the Mugers were flung by the quake's powerful vibrations. However, with Pink Ace more focused on the Mugers, she didn't notice the quake. The vibrations launched Pink Ace up in the air, falling on her face after.

"HEY!" shouted Pink Ace to Yellow Ace in frustration, as she tried to stand up. "Oops, sorry about that." apologized Yellow Ace. Pink Ace thought she did it on purpose. "Really? You can't smash the other way?" she said. "They were there, OK?" Yellow Ace replied.

While Green Ace used his Sling Slasher to attack, a Muger fired blasts towards his way. Red Ace then quickly saw the blasts, hastily cautioning Green Ace. "Andy, look out!" he said. "What?" said Green Ace, as he then peered on his side. "OH!" said Green Ace, as he then saw energy balls rapidly approaching him.

Quickly, Green Ace tried to block the attack with his Sling Slasher. As the projectiles hit his weapon, it then suddenly curved, somehow catching them. "What in blazes...?" said Green Ace, as energy slowly grew on his weapon.

* * *

Some Mugers then approached him, as he suddenly had an idea. "I wonder…" said Green Ace, as he then flung the energy blasts back to them. The Mugers then blew up from the boosted blasts. "Hubba wobba…" At the same time, Red Ace used his Slick Staff to knock off the Mugers, using it like a fencing sword.

As the fight continued, the girls bumped into each other as they got too close. "Hey, watch it!" said Yellow Ace. "I'm sorry, I just bumped!" apologized Pink Ace, but Yellow Ace didn't buy it.

"Sure that's not payback for earlier?" asked Yellow Ace. "No, it's not! What's your deal?" retaliated an annoyed Pink Ace. "I mean come on, I flung you by accident, and you thought it was on purpose. Now you're paying me back, just like the other times." replied Yellow Ace. "Only when you deserve it!" Pink Ace retaliated, again.

Finishing his Muger foes, Green Ace then was saw the two fighting. Rushing to the girls, he then tried to intervene. "Whoa, whoa, I think both were just accidents. Just focus on the Mugers, OK?" he said, as he then closed his eyes, then took a breath.

"What are you doing?" asked Pink Ace. "I am showing you both how to relax. Close your eyes, breath, and count from 1 to 10." said Green Ace. "Sure it's gonna work?" asked Yellow Ace, as the Mugers start to recover from the girls' attacks. "There is no time! Trust me." said Green Ace.

Urgently, the girls followed Green Ace's instructions. "…8…9…10." "There! How do you feel?" asked Green Ace, as the two replied in relief. "Huh, I actually feel better…out of beast mode for now." said Pink Ace. "Yeah, I kinda feel lighter." said Yellow Ace. "Nice! Come on mates, let's finish them off!" said Green Ace. With their focus returned, all Mugers were defeated by the rangers.

Finishing the job, the rangers then powered down. "Phew, well that sure was tough… Now, where did Rivitriol go?" asked Roger. Suddenly, Maria remembered something. "Wait a minute…Andreas and Simoné!" she said. The rangers then rushed towards the two. Andy tried to touch the barrier, but he suddenly got shocked. "This barrier seems impenetrable. How are we going to get through it?" he asked.

"I don't know, but maybe Laverus could help." said Roger, as he then called him. "Laverus?" _"Yes?"_ "Andreas and Simoné are acting odd, fighting each other." said Roger, as he then showed what was happening. _"Hmm, this barrier seems surrounded by a large concentration of nega-aura."_ Laverus replied.

"Anyway, how can we break it and stop them from bickering?" asked Roger. _"Well, it seems the strong nega-aura is making them uncontrollably angry. It is virtually impossible for them to simmer down. Let's see what I can do, and in the meantime you Aces try to think of something to solve this conundrum."_ Laverus replied.

"OK. Thanks!" said Roger, as he then hung up. "We must think of something else while we wait for Laverus. Any ideas?" he asked. "We could pour lots of ice cold water so they'll cool down." Nole suggested, as the others just snickered. "Stop kidding around, Nole." said Roger. "What? Do you have a better one?" Nole replied.

Suddenly, Andy had an idea. "Hold on…I do have one!" he said. "What is it?" asked Roger, as Maria then knew what Andy was thinking. "Oh, I think I know what Andy's planning! she said. "Are you thinking what I am thinking?" asked Andy. "Yes! We'll make them count from 1 to 10, right?" Maria replied.

"OK. But how are we going to do it? They are in their own world, that they didn't even notice us!" said Nole. Serena then had an idea. "Ooh, what if we turn it to a contest?" he said. "What do you mean?" asked Andy, as Serena then approached the barrier. "I get what you're doing, but does simple counting work?" asked Roger, not confident about the plan. "Trust me!" Serena replied.

* * *

Unable to enter the barrier, Serena tried to get the guys' attention from the outside. "Hey! Andreas, Simoné?" she said. "Can they hear you? They're still not responding." said Andy. "Do you want a new way to know who's better?" teased Serena. Suddenly, Andreas responded: "I'm listening…" "Well, I have a challenge – both of you must count from 1 to 10 and whoever gets to 10 first wins. How does that sound?" Serena replied.

Neither seemed willing to do it. "What kind of a challenge is that? That's weak." objected Simoné. "Well, in that case, that means you forfeit and Andreas wins..." replied Serena. Not wanting to lose against Andreas on everything, Simoné decided to go for it. "NO, NO, I'll do it!" said Simoné. "Not if I do it first!" said Andreas, not wanting to be left out.

"OK! But, I have a twist! You two must first close your eyes." said Serena, as then both guys asked "Why?" "After you finished counting, you must officially show that you're finished by opening your eyes. It's hard to hear what you're saying around here so I need visual proof. That also means you have to clearly say the numbers, so you actually have to pace yourself a bit, while still being quick." she continued.

"That's too many rules." argued Simoné. "What, think you can't do it?" taunted Andreas. "What are you talking about? The harder, the better!" answered Simoné.

As both then agreed on her terms, Serena started the challenge. "OK, let's start. Close your eyes, and when I say go, we'll start the challenge, OK?" she said. The two guys agreed, as they then closed their eyes. "On your mark, get set…GO!" shouted Serena, as the two started: "1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10."

As the two then opened their eyes, the nega-aura surrounding them slowly disappeared, as they started to calm down, and then returned to back to normal. "Wait, what happened? I was going to shake Simoné's hand, but I forgot everything after that." asked Andreas. "Yeah!" said Simoné. "A monster attacked you and made you argue with each other. It's a good thing the Ace Rangers came and saved you!" said Serena.

Andreas then apologized to Simoné. "Whoa, well I never would have thought I would argue with one of my friends. Sorry if I did…even if I don't know what exactly happened." he said. "It's OK, Andreas." replied Simoné. "Hey, why don't both go back to your center and keep safe?" advised Serena, as the two players then decided to run back to the tournament's Tennis Center.

Suddenly, there was a scream inside the building. "Wait, I think I hear screaming!" said Serena. "I think Rivitriol's already causing trouble outside! Come on!" urged Roger, as then the rangers went outside the stadium.

On the roof, Rivitriol was absorbing the nega-aura created in the indoor center. "So much chaos, I love it! Just a little more and I'm in full power!" said Rivitriol. "Good, good. We may have enough to affect the whole city." said General Ferron, who was behind him.

Back inside, the indoor center was filled with arguing players. "Yep, Rivitriol was here…" observed Nole, as the rangers tried to find Rivitriol amidst the chaos. While searching, Andy found a pair of players in a practice court arguing about serving: "Hey, I'm serving first!" "No, I am!"

"Wait up, guys. I will try something…" said Andy, deciding to help the players. "Where are you going?" asked Roger, as then the rangers followed Andy. Just close to the arguing players, Andy asked them to do the same thing Serena did to Andreas and Simoné. "Guys, want to play a game? Let's see who could count 1 to 10 first…" he said. "Is he doing what I think he's doing?" said Serena. "I think he is!" Maria replied.

The two arguing players later calmed down, bewildered. "It worked! We can do it to stop other arguments." said Andy. That gave Roger an idea. "Guys, I think I know how to stop this all at once!" he said. He then quickly fled to the hallway, confusing the rangers. "ROGER, where are you going?" asked Serena. "Just follow me, QUICK!" replied Roger, as the rangers followed his way.

* * *

" _Where is it?_ " murmured Roger, as he kept running on the halls, stopping on each room. "Slow down, twinkle-toes! We are we going, exactly?" said Nole. Searching from room-to-room, Roger finally found what he was looking for. "Here we are!" said Roger, entering a room with audio controls. "This is the commentator's box, right?" said Nole, looking around the booth. "Yes it is!" said Maria.

"That's right! We can make all players inside the building count to 10 using these equipment, cooling them off all at once." said Roger about his plan. "Good thinking, Roger!" complimented Serena.

As Roger got to the audio box, Maria had an idea: "Wait…you need someone to convince people all at once? Roger, could I try?" Seeing her eagerness, Roger agreed. "Here…and make it LOUD!" advised Roger, as Maria then prepared to speak. "Time for some Maria Magic!" she said, as she then talked to the mic:

" _Attention, everyone! It seems all of you have been arguing who's the better player, yet none of you seem to agree. However, I – Maria Krasavina – suggests_ _a tiebreaker for ALL! Whoever counts from 1 to 10 the fastest would be the declared the best player here! However, there's a twist…do it fast, but clear, because I won't accept sloppy work! Keep focused, and you will win a special gift, courtesy of moi!"_ said Maria, as her booming voice was heard all around the indoor center.

Immediately, the players around the indoor center accepted Maria's challenge, as the ruckus then seemingly disappeared. "Hey, the bickering have stopped!" said Nole. "Good job, Maria!" said Roger. "Yeah, although the gift I thought was a bit much...I think the challenge was enough." commented Andy. "Everyone wants a piece of me – that's my secret weapon." winked Maria. "Whatever." groaned Serena. "Just kidding around!" Maria replied.

"Let's just try to find Rivitriol, OK. I think we can use the Scan app." said Serena. However, Andy remembered something. "Oh dear! All nega-aura have disappeared from the players. There is none left leading us to him!" he said. "Oh man, maybe we should've found him first, THEN turn the others back to normal." said Nole.

"That's not OK, though, Nole." said Roger. Quickly using the app, he finally found some remaining traces of nega-aura. "Quick guys, follow me! I think there's still some nega-aura there." said Roger. "Hey, don't leave us hanging!" said Nole, frustrated as Roger fled all of a sudden.

The rangers again followed Roger, leading them to the roof. There, Rivitriol kept absorbing nega-aura, until finally none was left. "Huh? No more?" complained the Journeyman. "What happened, Rivitriol?" asked General Ferron. All of a sudden, the Ace Rangers arrived.

"Haven't you had enough?" said Roger. "Huh? How did you cancel my clashes?" Rivitriol replied. "Well, you just need the right words that is all!" said Serena, as Roger called the rangers to morph. "Let's not waste any more time, guys…are you ready?" he said. "Ready! Serve it up!" the rangers replied.

"I'm now seeing five colors!" said Rivitriol. "If you don't like it, then we'll just give you two – black and blue!" Red Ace replied. As the rangers readied to fight, the general then suddenly spoke: "Stop right there, Rivitriol." The general then walked in front of the Journeyman. "Hang about… Who are you?" asked Green Ace.

"Greeting, Ace Rangers. I would like to introduce myself. I am Intelligence General Ferron, the Faultissimo Armada's head tactician." Facing an armada general, the rangers got startled. "You're an armada general?" asked Blue Ace. "Yes, I am. I was sent here with my creation Rivitriol, to spread discord and chaos." replied the general.

* * *

"Yup, that's right! Now, be amazed at my cannons' full power!" said Rivitriol, as he then blasted his Bicker Blasters to the city. "He's firing everywhere!" said Blue Ace. "Haha, more arguments throughout the city, more nega-aura is released!" said Rivitriol. "But the only way you could stop it all at once, is to defeat him." said General Ferron.

"And if you want to defeat me? Catch me!" said Rivitriol, as he then jumped out of the roof, landing to the ground below. "Let's follow him, guys!" said Red Ace, as they also jumped to face the Journeyman. Meanwhile, General Ferron switched on a strange device from his cloak. "Now, while Rivitriol is fighting those meddling rangers, I'll absorb as much nega-aura as I can without any disturbance!" he said.

"So you followed me here, huh? Then, you have made the wrong choice!" taunted Rivitriol, as he shot his blasters towards the rangers. "Guys, evade!" alerted Red Ace. "Run, run as fast as you can! You can't avoid this; I am the man with the plan!" said Rivitriol, as the blasts created cracks and holes on the ground.

"Oh great, he's making rhymes!" said Blue Ace, ruffled by Rivitriol. "His blasts are too fast!" said Red Ace. "I'm slowing…all this running is depleting my reserves!" said Yellow Ace. "Any ideas how to attack this creep?" asked Pink Ace, as the rangers kept avoiding. "Freeze, you chickens! Your running is useless!" said Rivitriol, as he kept blasting.

Suddenly, Yellow Ace and Pink Ace tripped on cracks. Unfortunately, they bumped into each other. Both rangers then fell to the ground, not realizing it was an accident. "Hey, watch where you're going!" said Pink Ace. "Hey, you're the one who should!" Yellow Ace replied. "I mean, this is the second time today I tripped because of you!" said Pink Ace. "Girl, it's not me, OK?" replied Yellow Ace.

"This is not the time to be at each other's throats!" said Green Ace, who was still occupied. As they argue, Rivitriol found an opening. "Ha, it seems they're arguing without my help! Time to amp it up..." he said, merging his blasters.

As Rivitriol stopped firing, Red Ace and Blue Ace noticed something is amiss. "Hey, Roger…he stopped shooting!" said Blue Ace. Just as then, the two guys glanced towards Rivitiol, ready to fire against the girls. "LOOK OUT!" hastily warned Red Ace.

" _Gotcha!"_ murmured Rivitriol as he shot his Bicker Blaster. With the blast about to hit, Red Ace and Blue Ace then raced towards the girls, moving them out of the way. Bumping into each other, they were still able to save the girls. They, however, got hit.

Green Ace: "NO!"

Yellow Ace: "ROGER!"

Pink Ace: "NOLE!"

Slowly, the Bicker Blasts affected the guys. "HEY, you were in my way!" said Blue Ace, as he shoved Red Ace. "I was trying protect them." Red Ace replied, who shoved back. "I'm already doing that! But you tried to play hero, just so you can get all the credit!" Blue Ace replied. "Really? Who between us wants to get attention?" Red Ace argued.

The war of words persisted, and the other rangers got worried. "This doesn't look good! How are we gonna stop this?" asked Pink Ace. "Well, we can do our tried and tested method." replied Green Ace. "Great idea! What if you let me and Maria try and stop them?" asked Yellow Ace. Green Ace then nodded in approval, as the two then approached the altercation.

* * *

"Guys, guys…you are both great heroes by saving us from Rivitriol." said Yellow Ace. "However, there's one way to determine whose the BETTER hero." said Pink Ace. "Being a hero means being quick of wit." said Yellow Ace. "And to test that, you two would have to face this challenge!" said Pink Ace.

"What kind of test is that?" asked a cranky Blue Ace. "All you have to do is count from 1 to 10." said Yellow Ace. "And whoever gets to 10 the quickest will be the better hero and ranger between you two!" Pink Ace said. "So, what do you think?" asked Yellow Ace. Surprisingly, it did not work.

"Hey, are you doing that trick against me?" figured Blue Ace. However, Red Ace decided to settle the matter differently. "Just forget these two. I have a better way to settle this…" he said, as he then declared: "A 1-ON-1 RAZOR RACKET DUEL! The first person to surrender or de-morph, will have the right to the title of the best ranger!"

"Um, he knows we are here too, right?" said Pink Ace. "Come on, Maria, this is serious!" Yellow Ace replied. After Red Ace declared the challenge, Blue Ace then accepts. "Alright, let's do this… _en garde_!" said Red Ace. Suddenly, a surge of dark energy surrounded the two, knocking and de-morphing the others.

"Ugh, what just happened?" asked Maria, trying to get back up. "It seems we are trapped on a similar force field Simoné & Andreas were in." said Andy. "I cannot morph back." he said. "Oh my." said Maria. "Anyway, why are we trapped too?" asked Serena. "I don't know. But stopping this duel may again be the only solution." Andy replied.

While the duelists locked eyes, the other observed. About to fight, they crossed their Razor Rackets against each other. Red Ace had his first choice of words. "It is natural that I'm the leader! Being the best player is the reason why I'm the Red Ace and you're not!" he said. Blue Ace, however didn't back down. "How could you be a leader if you don't have the warrior's drive that I have, twinkle-toes?" he said.

"We can't just watch and let them finish each other!" said Serena. "How are we exactly going to stop them? This rivalry isn't what I call friendly." Maria replied. "No matter what, I am sure there is a way to halt this squabble. There has to be something both can agree on." said Andy.

As the duelists exchanged strikes, Blue Ace was ready for a final blow. he said. "Now, ready to face my final strike!" As Red Ace was about to be hit, he blocked the attack with his own Razor Racket. "A hero is said to be good of wit, but I am not sure if you have any!" taunted Red Ace, as he thrust his Razor Racket towards Blue Ace's, pushing him back.

"Oh, come on! I outwitted you during The Aussies, didn't I?" bragged Blue Ace, making Red Ace furious: "You call pushing outwitting?" "I am not a pusher…I am a tactical genius! Finding the right time to attack _is_ my play!" replied Blue Ace.

Moments passed and the two kept fighting, neither one yielding. Atop the roof, General Ferron continued his scheme. "Excellent…the nega-aura coming from every player in the area now belongs to the armada! Not only that, this melee is giving me lots of it." he said.

With tension at its peak, Blue Ace ordered Red Ace to surrender: "Had enough? I could do this all day." "As I said, I still have a few tricks up my sleeves." Red Ace replied, as he then swiftly switched his Razor Racket to his other hand, catching Blue Ace off guard with a stealth strike on his side.

* * *

As the situation got out of hand, the other rangers were alarmed. "This has gone over the line. Let's stop this…now!" said Serena. "You're the idea guy, Andy! Still nothing?" asked Maria. "I could not think of any! They are opposite as they could be." Andy replied.

Suddenly, Andy had an epiphany. "Yet, it seems that is what makes them stronger." he said. "What do you mean?" Maria asked. "Even as polar rivals, I do think they respect each other as competitive peers." said Andy.

"Really? Their words don't seem to be friendly." said Serena, and Maria agreed. "They may not show it, but they always play the best matches, playing against each other. Sure, Nole typically loses, but he always gives a smile at the end. On-court, they seem to enjoy each other's company, as odd it sounds." said Andy. "Guess so." said Maria.

"When I think about it, you feel the same facing Serena." said Andy, which Maria responded with a shocked "WHAT?" "There is that fire in your eyes when you face Serena. You're like Nole, but with some layered personal animosity." said Andy. "She does?" Serena replied, as she then glanced towards Maria.

After an awkward pause, Maria spoke. "Fine! I admit. Every time we play, not only do I feel that I have to beat you, but I also feel that I need to be the best version of myself. Winning a game or a set against you, makes me feel like the best player in the world…and I don't want to waste any moment feeling like it.

"Wait, is that why you were adamant during the incident? You just can't let those moment go?" realized Serena, as Maria then returned with a nod. "Yeah! I mean, we may have a rough history, but I sort of always look forward to our matches. Just pumps my competitive side, and you know how competitive I am…and sometimes, I admit, a bit too much." Maria said.

In the midst of clashing razor noise, Serena made a big decision. "You know what, I think someone deserves an apology." said Serena. "Why? I'm the one who should apologize for accusing you!" Maria replied. "No, not that. I'm sorry for the way I reacted on court. I was just aggravated when you kept on insisting about that point. And yet, I know it's almost impossible that I could've won that. I should've just given it to you." said Serena.

"Oh. Well, I guess I shouldn't have acted like a crab about it. Was just the heat of the moment, I guess. Sorry about that." apologetically said Maria. "Yeah, me too. We may not like each other, but we are now part of a team. As you said, we seem to bring the best out of each other in our game. Now, seeing how much harm our spat has made, I say let's have a truce…for real!" said Serena, as she then extended her right hand.

"Really?" said a skeptical Maria. "Really." said Serena, as the two then shook hands. "OK, but I won't promise that we will not fight about stuff from time to time. But I will try to be my pleasant best." said Maria. "Couldn't have it any other way." said Serena.

"Great!" said Andy, when suddenly his and the girls' morphers glowed. "Hey, it's glowing!" said Maria. "I think we could morph again!" said Andy. "Now, I'll try to get these blokes back into reality! Surely the guys could reconcile if you two can. Wait right here!" said Andy to the girls, as he quickly morphed back: "Serve it up!"

"Hey, mates!" Green Ace said, trying to call the rangers' attention, as he then clashed his Razor Racket with the two. "Listen, I know you are rivals. However, I know in your guts, you two respect each other." he continued, as he then retreated. "Respect? Ha! We are bitter rivals! There is no room for respect." replied Blue Ace. "I agree. Enemies…they don't deserve your respect!" answered Red Ace, as he kept attacking.

* * *

"That is not true! I see here not only two fierce rivals battling it out, but also fierce rivals who enjoys challenging each other!" said Green Ace. The duelists, however, did not agree. "Really? You think I enjoy someone who can talk the talk, but not walk the walk?" said Red Ace. "Hey, I dislike seeing your smug, gloating face, either!" Blue Ace retaliated.

"I understand both of you do things that bug the other, but those things actually motivates you both!" said Green Ace. "Those tense battles? They made you the players you are today. Without the other, I doubt you two would have the drive you have now." he continued.

Still fighting, the dueling rangers suddenly became reluctant. "Hey, it's working!" said Maria, seeing the duelists hesitate to move. "Come on Andy, keep going!" said Serena.

"Remember that first head-to-head, Nole! You won only 1 game, but that seemed to be a catalyst on your next tournament to win your maiden title!" said Green Ace. "Also, have you forgotten about the time Nole forced you into a match-deciding tiebreaker, Roger? It was long and tense, but it proves that you ARE a fighter!" he continued.

Rivitriol's effect looked to be withering away, when all at once they became angry again. "Wait a blooming minute..." said Green Ace, as another surge of nega-aura pushed him back to the girls, de-morphing him again.

"What happened, Andy?" asked Serena. "I don't know. The plan seemingly worked, yet they suddenly went aggro. Apparently resisting makes it worse." Andy replied. "What are we gonna do now?" asked Maria. "Well, what I can think of right now, is why we are here." said Andy.

"Well, the argument started after they saved us. They then started arguing about who's the better hero." said Serena. Immediately, Andy had an idea. "I got it!" he said, running off again. "Hey, are you sure this time's going to work?" said Serena, as Andy ran off and morphed, with no reply.

"You're just wasting your time!" said Blue Ace. Fixated on Red Ace, he did not notice a crack on the floor, making him trip. Finding an opening, Red Ace responded quickly. _"Finally!"_ he thought, as he swiftly struck Blue Ace from behind, de-morphing him. The others were shocked, as they then saw Nole dropped on the ground.

With Nole cornered, Red Ace puts his Razor Racket on Nole's neck. "Finally, I will have my revenge!" said Red Ace. "Revenge?" Green Ace wondered. "Finish me, and I will still have the last laugh!" said Nole. "Fine, then." said Red Ace, ready to take his final blow.

"Wait...STOP!" shouted Green Ace, as Red Ace then suddenly froze. "Roger, I think I know what's happening! You wanted to get back on Nole after The Aussies. I know it was hard to lose a match like that, but this is not way to resolve it." said Green Ace.

"But that's why I'm finishing him here – there can only be one, and I'll finally win again!" said Red Ace. "In theory. However, you said you want to prove that you're better hero, right? On the contrary, if you destroy him, he'll be the hero. Do this, and you'll become the villain." said Green Ace, looking towards the girls, who nodded in agreement. "And you do not want him to win AGAIN, do you?" he continued.

Confused on what to do, Red Ace started to hesitate. _"Must destroy him to be the best, yet he will be if I do..."_ he thought. Struggling on his decision, Red Ace then finally let go of his racket. "It's working!" said Maria, as Red Ace finally fell flat on the ground. Exhausted, he de-morphed as he then dropped. "I just can't move my legs." said Roger. "Me too." said Nole. Slowly, the two began to calm down, as Rivitriol's effects slowly disappeared.

* * *

Moments later, the guys finally broke out of Rivitriol's influence. "Ugh, what happened?" said Roger, as he tried to stand up. "Well, I think we almost killed each other." said Nole. "Weren't you doing that whenever we play?" said Roger with a grin, as Nole then just scoffed. "WHAT? How are you not fighting?" said Rivitriol in shock. "A dash of irony is all they need. They win, well, by losing." said Green Ace.

Green Ace ran towards the guys, helping them back up. "Was it bad?" asked Nole. "Well, let's just say you were more than bitter rivals for a moment." Green Ace replied. "Talking about rivals, I remember something — you said that we like our rivalry. How come you thought of that?" asked Roger.

"Well, ask Nole. He seems to enjoy it." Green Ace replied. "Why are you two looking at me? OK, I mean, to become the best, I must play with the best, right?" said Nole. "Wait, did you just compliment me?" asked Roger as, the two then laughed. "Come on now, let's morph back!" said Nole. "Splendid!" Green Ace replied.

"Don't leave us out!" said Maria, as the girls rushed to the other rangers. "Yeah! I mean, it is time we return the favor!" said Serena, as Roger replied with a nod. "Are you ready Nole?" said Roger. "Let's do it!" Nole replied.

"Serve it up!" said the four, as they then morphed back. "This is not good!" said Rivitriol, as the rangers then said their roll call:

Nole: "The Fighting Shield! Ace Ranger, Blue!"

Serena: "The Hammer of Justice! Ace Ranger, Yellow!"

Andy: "The Silent Striker. Ace Ranger, Green!"

Maria: "The Blast Belle! Ace Ranger, Pink!"

Roger: "The Slick Ace! Ace Ranger, Red!"

All: "Saving tennis, one ball at a time! We are…Power Rangers…Aces!"

"Saving tennis, huh? You haven't beaten me yet!" said Rivitriol, as he again fired his Bicker Blasters. "His blasts seem weaker than before!" said Green Ace. "Hah, that is why you should always pace yourself!" said Blue Ace, wagging his finger.

"Ugh, I have to recharge!" said Rivitriol, giving the rangers an opening. "Now is our chance!" said Red Ace. "Right!" replied the others. "Weapons...activate!" said the rangers, as Green Ace, Yellow Ace and Pink Ace ran into action.

Suddenly, Red Ace had an idea. "Nole, what if we combine our two weapons together?" "How?" asked Blue Ace. "By putting your Giga Gloves on the Slick Staff's ends, we can turn the two turn into a Giga Staff." replied Red Ace. "Awesome!" said Blue Ace.

Combining their weapons, the Giga Staff was formed. "You're no match for our heavy hits!" said the two. Even when the two served knockout punches, Ritriviol was not fazed. "Fools, you can't knock me out like that!" said the Journeyman. "Look behind." the two said, as the girls then suddenly attacked Rivitriol, making him woozy as he was struck down to the ground.

"Oh! What if we mix our weapons, like Roger and Nole?" said Pink Ace. "Let's try it!" Yellow Ace replied. Placing the Boom Blaster inside the Handy Hammer, they were able to create the Boom Hammer. "Now let's see what this combo could do!" said Yellow Ace.

Suddenly, Rivitriol jumped out from the ground, relieved from his dizziness. "I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU TWO! This might drain my energy, but it would be worth it!" said the angry Journeyman, as he then set his big blaster to destruction mode. _"I will not miss this time..."_ muttered Rivitriol to himself.

* * *

As Rivitriol was about to unleash, Red Ace and Blue Ace suddenly appeared in front, as Red Ace then spun the Giga Staff. "HUH?!" said Rivitriol as he immediately unleashes the blast. From out the blue, a big energy shield emerged from the Giga Staff, deflecting the blast. "Cool, my shield's boosted, too!" said Blue Ace.

"What? How did you…" said a flustered Rivitriol, as then Blue Ace said "Look up!" As he did, he then saw the girls attacking from the sky. "Uh oh…" the Journeyman said. "Have a taste of our own blast!" said the girls, as a magnified attack came from the Boom Hammer. "Victory Vortex!" the girls said.

The blast hits the ground, but Rivitriol was able to evade in time. "Hah, what kind of sneak attack calls it out?" he said, but then Yellow Ace said "Look behind you!" With no time to react, Rivitriol was hit by Green Ace's Sling Slasher counterblast, as the Victory Vortex caught up him and got trapped inside. "I am so mad at myself!" said Rivitriol as he gets destroyed. "Smashing!" said Green Ace.

The rangers then celebrated in victory. "Great teamwork, guys! We managed to defeat our first Journeyman." said Red Ace. "Good thing the mission finished well! Thanks for your help earlier, from both of you." said Yellow Ace. "Yeah, thanks Roger! Things might've gotten ugly if it us who got hit seeing you two, haha."

With Rivitriol defeated, quarrels around the city began to subside, and the radiating nega-aura began to disappear. "Guys, listen…no more argy-bargy!" said Green Ace. "What?" asked the girls. "Argy-bargy? You know, squabbles?" replied Green Ace. "Ah, peace and quiet!" said a relieved Blue Ace.

Unknown to the rangers, General Ferron was looking from above the indoor center. "Just as I thought…the moment the rangers snapped out, I knew this would end badly. It's time to execute Plan B!" he said, as a tablet device then suddenly appeared from his hand.

Tapping a button labelled "Drop", a Bulk Pill then dropped from the Dreadful Default, into the atmosphere. "Let's see how they will deal with this." said General Ferron as he then teleported back to enemy base.

Back on Earth, Laverus contacted Red Ace. "We just destroyed Rivitriol!" he reported, but Laverus had dire news. _"It's not over yet, rangers! A Bulk Pill has been dropped to revive the Journeyman. You must…"_ he said. Rapidly, the giant pill was about to plunge towards them. "Look out!" said Red Ace, as the rangers tried to flee.

With the pill dropping in breakneck speed, the rangers quickly dodged it. The pill then dropped on the destroyed Journeyman, turning him into a colossal monster. "I'm a mountain to you molehills!" roared the giant, stunning the rangers. "Um, guys…we have a big problem!" said Pink Ace in shock.

"Don't worry guys. Our Zords will take care of this! Are you ready?" said Red Ace, as the others prepared to summon their Zords: "Ready! Ace Zord Medals, Second Serve!" _"Summoning Zords!"_ alerted their morphers, as the Ace Zords arrived on time.

"Right on cue!" said Red Ace, as they see the Zords attack Rivitriol. "Five against one? That's unfair!" protested Rivitriol. "Come on, Chameleon Zord. Prismatic Blitz!" ordered Green Ace. The Zord then attacked using its laser eyes, while the Journeyman tried to shield himself. "Ugh, so bright! Now, it's time to turn the tides! Bicker Blast!" said Rivitriol, as he then shot the Hammerhead and Leopard Ace Zords, making them fight each other.

"What? He blasted our Zords?" said Pink Ace, as her and Yellow Ace's Zords became aggressive – Hammerhead hammered Leopard, while Leopard retaliated with a scrape. "How are we going to stop this?" asked Yellow Ace, when suddenly she and Pink Ace received a call from Laverus. _"Rangers, it seems Rivitriol disturbed the Zords' tennis aura, making them fight. You rangers must snap them out of it."_ he said.

* * *

"How are we gonna do that?" asked Pink Ace. _"Just hold your Zord app buttons and re-balance their tennis aura with your own."_ replied Laverus. "We're on it!" said Yellow Ace. _"Just make sure that both of your Ace Aura are in balance. I remembered you two bickering the last time I saw you."_ Laverus replied.

"Oh, that? It's old news. We're ready!" said Pink Ace, as Laverus then gives them the go-signal. _"That is great to hear!"_ he said. "Are you ready, Maria?" asked Yellow Ace. Pink Ace nodded back, as they then tried to re-balance their Zords' tennis aura.

" _Happy thoughts! Think happy thoughts!"_ thought Pink Ace. " _My family, my friends, my fellow Aces…"_ thought Yellow Ace. Their positivity was then able to create more Ace Aura, enabling them to restore their Zords. "They're back!" said Pink Ace, as then Yellow Ace sighed in relief.

"Oh no, not again!" said Rivitriol, as he then tried to change to his strategy. "No more mind games! Time to destroy you two for good!" he said, setting his blaster to destruction mode to try destroying the Zords.

"Now you're finished!" he continued, as he then shot his attack. However, the Zords were able to evade, making Rivitriol mad. "Argh, now YOU'RE making me mad!" he said.

"Ugh, I am not sure if our Zords can handle this!" said Green Ace, but then Laverus told them a way to level up. _"Rangers, I have good news! Based on my readings, all of your Ace Aura are in sync. Your Ace Zords can now combine into one big robot – the Grand Slam Megazord!"_ he said.

"Megazord?" asked Blue Ace. _"By combining your five Zords, a giant mecha can be made, that is resilient to Rivitriol's blasts. Just tap the Zord app again to form the Megazord, but make sure you all do it at closely the same time!"_ said Laverus.

"Roger that. Let's try it!" said Red Ace, as the others replied "Right!" "Zords, combine!" shouted the rangers, as their morphers alerted _"Megazord formation, standby!"_

The Zords started to combine – the Ram Ace Zord became the torso and head, while the Chameleon and Leopard Ace Zords formed the left and right legs. Lastly, the Hammerhead and Stingray Ace Zords became the left and right arms. "Let's go guys, come on!" said Red Ace, as the rangers jumped to teleport into the Megazord's cockpit.

Inside the cockpit, there were podiums where the rangers could stand, a control panel in front of them to place their morphers, and a pad on their side where their Match Medals could be scanned.

The rangers were awed on what they saw. "Wow!" said Pink Ace. "So this is how it feels riding a Megazord. Awesome!" said Blue Ace. "Sis actually rode this thing, huh?" said an amused Yellow Ace. "This is just gobsmacking!" said Green Ace.

"You can say that again. Now, let's send him to anger management!" said Red Ace. "Yeah! Let's go! Grand Slam Megazord, ready!" shouted the rangers, ready to face Rivitriol. "Well the bigger they are, the harder they fall!" the Journeyman said. Rivitriol then fired a blast, but the Grand Slam Megazord was able to dodge it. "Ugh, I missed. Hey! Where are you?" said Rivitriol, confused as the Megazord seemingly disappeared.

"Look right!" said Green Ace, as a bewildered Rivitriol said "Huh?" Glancing right, a hammer punch swiftly thwacked Rivitriol by surprise. "Knock out!" said Blue Ace. "Hey, she's my Zord!" protested Yellow Ace. "Sorry!" Blue Ace apologized.

* * *

"Why are you hiding? Are you just chicken!" said Rivitriol, as then the Megazord hammer punched him from the left side. "Wait a minute, were visible again..." said Green Ace, as the camouflage wore off. "I see you!" said Rivitriol, as he then made quick-fire shots to the Megazord.

"Ahhh!" said the shaken rangers. "Just hang on!" said Red Ace, as Rivitriol continued attacking. "Haha, surrender now!" said the Journeyman. "You have been a pain this whole day! Argh!" said a furious Pink Ace, as she then knee-kicked Rivitriol with her Zord. "Ow, ow, ow, not the knee!" said Rivitriol.

"Rivitriol's weakened. Let's now cool this fiery fiend!" said Red Ace, when suddenly their pockets glowed. "Huh, what is this?" Red Ace wondered, grabbing a Match Medal from his pocket.

" _Those are Basel Match Medals!"_ said Laverus, who suddenly appeared a projection from the control panel. "Whoa, you scared me!" said Yellow Ace. _"Oh, I apologise for that. Anyway, you can use these medals to create an icy blast. I was ready to give it to you in order to cool quarrelers, but I had to charge them first."_ said Laverus.

"Better late than never." said Red Ace. The rangers then put the medals to their pads. _"Basel Match Medal, scanned!"_ the mecha voice said. "Swiss Snowstorm!" shouted the rangers, as a snow vortex then came out of the Stingray Ace Zord.

"You cannot cool of me off!" said Rivitiol, as he then froze solid. "Time to finish this. Stingray Slash!" said the Rangers, as they finished the Journeyman with one slice. "Game, Set and Match!" said Red Ace, as Rivitriol was finally defeated.

Back at the Dreaded Default, Don Skeletoni was livid. "General Ferron! Your Journeyman wasn't strong enough to defeat the rangers!" he said. "My Don… While Rivitriol didn't destroy them for good, I still managed to amass loads of nega-aura. It was not a waste of time." rationalized General Ferron.

"Still, we need to find a way to defeat those rangers once and for all!" said Don Skeletoni, as General Ferron then presented what else he gathered. "Well, I have got something else that could very valuable, my Don." he said. "What is it General Ferron?" asked Don Skeletoni. "Not only had I obtained nega-aura from the rangers, but also their trace Ace Aura." replied General Ferron.

Don Skeletoni was content. "Well now…I think we can use it for Project V." he said. "Yes, my Don." replied General Ferron. "The Aces thought they had us, but they're wrong…because V Day is approaching. Hahaha!" cackled the Don.

* * *

Back at Laverus Lair, Serena and Maria had a one-on-one talk. "Serena, you know one of the reasons I wanted to better than you?" said Maria. "What is it?" asked Serena. "Well, on our tennis academy, do you remember Greg?" asked Maria. "Oh, Greg, I remember that guy. He was my boyfriend, before she dumped me for you." Serena replied.

"Yeah. Being rivals since juniors, it's frustrating how you always get the lead over me. I liked Greg, and when picked you over me, I was devastated – I felt I was a loser in life, not only in tennis." said Maria "I see." Serena replied.

"That is why when he asked me out later on, I was giddy. That there may be something I have that you don't, to have me over you. But the moment he dumped me too…I felt I was back to square one. It may be about Greg at first, but I eventually moved on. Yet seeing your game, going leaps and bounds, is a constant reminder that I will always be second best. I want to be first, and that is why I want to surpass you in everything." said Maria.

"But Maria, you already have surpassed me in many things – fashion and business, you have the edge there. Also, you also have a lot of suitors. Greg was probably one of the few that wanted to date me. Although as we found out, he wasn't worth our time." said Serena.

"You're right, haha. Still, I really want to be #1, win Slams, just a typical player's dream. I have not been nice to you, so could you forgive me again for the wrongs I have done?" asked Maria. "Hey, one apology is enough! We're teammates now...we'll have time to get along with each other." said Serena. "Frenemies?" she said. "Frenemies." Maria replied, as they then hugged each other.

"Nole, I am sorry for earlier." said Roger. "Hey, it was all Rivitriol's fault." replied Nole. "Not all. There was a bit of real frustration that came out. The frustration losing The Aussies fueled my darker side." said Roger. "Well as long as we move on and learn from losses, we could turn that frustration to motivation. That is my mantra in life." said Nole.

"Wow, who knew wise words could come out of you!" said Roger. "What can I say…I am a wise guy…on court, and on life!" said Nole, as the two chuckled. "Seems everyone are good mates now! United, everything will be brilliant!" said Andy, as they all came together to say their motto: "Saving tennis, one ball at a time. Ace Rangers!"

"Hey, can I join in?" "Of course you can, Laverus!" said Roger. "Well, I'm not Laverus…" The rangers then turned, all shocked on who they saw. "Wait, don't tell me…YOU'RE a veteran ranger?" said Roger. "Yes, I am, my students. By the way, congrats to your first Megazord victory! You surely will have a long ride ahead." said Pete Megalos, the veteran Red Ace Ranger.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

Man, this may be one of my hardest chapters to make. Conflicts stories is something I am not yet sure how to handle that well, so creating and sort of resolve the issues of the characters in these last two chapters was a bit tricky, and also trying to resolve the Red-Blue fight did take a while, trying to figure out how were they going to snap out of it by not contradicting Rivitriol's rules as much as possible (i.e. a never ending struggle until at least one just gives out). I do admit there are some long in-between conversation during the monster conflict, but I thought they should be there to shed a light on their character focus here and their development. Still, I felt the lesson of just stopping, trying to relax, and just clearing your mind when there is conflict is something everyone should learn IMO.

Next episode is going to be interesting, as we will focus on new friendships made, and how it could make am early lasting impression. The rangers will now fly to Memphis, as they try to keep pace in **Game 7: Time Violation**.

 _Characters:_

Being a direct continuation of the previous chapter, there are no new characters introduced. However, we did know who was Serena & Maria's love interest early...wonder if that guy will pop up later in the story.

 _Other Thoughts:_

Andy saying "Hubba wobba" is a reference to Wobbuffet, the Pokémon that can't do anything by itself, but retaliates attacks with twice the power. That is what the Sling Slasher can do, except that it can be used as, well, slashers.

 _Disclaimer:_

Power Rangers is a property of Saban Brands. The characters are only inspired by tennis personalities and should not be treated as their real life inspirations.


	7. Time Violation

**Game 7: Time Violation**

"Do you by any chance was a Red Ranger?" asked Andy to Pete Megalos, who just arrived in Laverus Lair. "Yes, I was! Me, Rusty, Venus, André, Martina – we were all rangers, just like you." said Pete. "So the ones who are said to have saved the planet…they were actually the Fierce Five?" asked Serena.

"We fought against the armada's first wave. All the stories your sister told you? They were all true!" said Pete, as he then took a seat. "We were unsure being rangers at first, but we did get a hang of it as time goes on. We thought the armada was defeated, but Laverus' hunch was right – it was just the beginning." he said.

"Don't worry, Megaman…I mean, Mr. Megalos!" said Nole, in which Pete replied "Just call me Pete!" "OK, um, Pete! I have so much respect for you! It's awesome that you were an Ace." said Nole, shaking Pete's hand. "Give him some space!" said Maria.

"Anyway, has any of you guys saw Laverus?" asked Pete. "Um, no." Roger replied. "Anyway, if you do see him, just tell him I was here, OK?" said Pete. "We will!" Roger replied. "And just a reminder guys, we have class on Monday." told Pete, as he then teleported out.

"I can't believe THE Pete Megalos is an Ace Ranger! I mean it kind of makes sense, but…" said Nole. "Yeah. What's interesting, is he's coincidentally one of our instructors." said Serena. "I don't think it is – I presume us being rangers have something to do with that." said Andy.

"Do you think Laverus wants Pete to be our babysitter? He knows we're adults, right?" said Maria. "I think having a veteran ranger at the academy is good. He'll be of great help when the armada strikes again, for sure." Roger replied.

On Monday, the students of the Academy on Tour arrived at Memphis, USA. After class, the rangers decided to do some sight-seeing. "Memphis! Home of rock n' roll, and the home of Elvis!" said Nole. "It also has the only indoor tournament in the states. I may take a gander around the racquet club museum to check more of its history." said Andy.

"Not a museum gal, but I'll go to Overton Park! They said it has a great jogging spot." said Maria. "Well I'm going to Beale Street, the home of blues. You may join with me, Nole, if you want." said Serena. "Sure!" replied Nole. "While you are all sight-seeing, I'm going to practice for the upcoming tournament. I'll be at the practice courts if you need me." said Roger, as he then left.

"Ugh, he may be part of a team now, but he's still a loner." said Maria. "Incredible results don't develop overnight…trust me, I know." said Serena. "He needs to loosen up, though." said Nole. "Gallivanting may just not be his cup of tea. Let's not waste daylight and waffle around, though. Off we go!" said Andy. As the rangers left the tennis club, Nole shrugged towards Serena and said "Waffle?"

Meanwhile, at the Dreadful Default, Don Skeletoni was in a meeting with his generals. "My dear generals, these new rangers are as irritating as the ones before them, as we have seen. Rivitriol may have failed, but we gained nega-aura needed for our future plans." he said.

"May I ask my Don what those plans are?" asked General Mugro. "Those are hush-hush – for now. But today, I do need another Journeyman to wreak havoc." said the Don. "Glad you asked, my Don!" said General Duscko. "Hey, I thought I'm responsible for this mission?" General Flopez replied. "Hush, General Flopez. I want to hear his plan…" the Don replied.

* * *

"OK, I present to you…Horrorlogium!" said General Duscko. "Tick-tock!" the Journeyman said. "A grandfather clock?" said Don. "He's no ordinary clock, my Don! As we know, timing is important on every player. Disrupt it, and their mishits will turn to misery!" General Duscko replied.

"Fascinating. Well, then...go, General Duscko! Let their misery be our gain!" the Don said. "Yes, my Don!" replied General Duscko, as he then teleported down to Earth. "My Don, may I ask why you sent that hothead instead of me? I said before, I do well indoors." General Flopez replied.

"I found his plan quite relevant to the situation. General Ferron said that Memphis is a place where rhythm & rhyme thrives. What place to test the Journeyman's skill but here, right?" said Don Skeletoni. "I believe so, my Don." replied a dubious General Flopez, as General Mugro looked at him with concern.

Back at Memphis, Roger was practicing balls with Jo. Nearing twilight, Jo decided to stop. "Let's take a break, Roger. I do have a match tomorrow!" he said. "I guess if that's the case...OK. I'll see you later!" said Roger, as he waved goodbye. _"Wow, is it sunset already?"_ he thought, as he then entered the club to ask someone to turn the court lights on.

When Roger returned, he noticed someone else was in the practice courts. Hitting balls to a wall, the player piqued Roger's curiosity. "Hi!" said Roger to the player. "Oh! _Hajimemashite._ My name is Kei Nishioka! It is nice to meet you, Davis-san." said the player.

Still hfing his racket, Kei then puts it on a strap on his back, acting like a sheath that keeps a swordsman's weapon. "It is nice to meet you too! I saw you in a Juniors match during observation class. You play very well for a small guy!" said Roger. "Thank you! I have been working hard, ever since I went here to the states to learn playing tennis." said Kei.

"From what I see, it seems to be paying off." Roger said. "Thanks! I just took some rest after my match. I ate a bit, but then felt I needed to a bit more practice. That's why I'm here!" Kei replied. "Cool. Anyway, you look like a samurai with that racket on your back." said Roger. "You're not the first person to say that, but thanks!" said Kei as he chuckled.

"You know, I never thought someone else is crazy enough to practice at night, like me." said Roger. "Seize the day, I always say." said Kei. "Hey, by any chance can I practice with you?" asked Roger. "It would be an honor!" said Kei, as they then practiced together.

Meanwhile, the other rangers agreed to meet at Beale Street, after their excursions. "Hey, Andy! Nole! Maria!" shouted Serena. "Hey!" said Nole, as the three ran towards her. "I know a popular rock n' roll bistro we could go." said Serena. "I do want to jam tonight..." said Maria.

As the rangers arrived at the bistro, they noticed a couple leaving. "Let's find another place to party, hun." the wife said. "Huh, what's their problem?" wondered Nole, as the four then noticed something was off. "That's odd. There's no band." said Serena. "Yeah, the music's a playback. I wonder why." said Andy.

Wanting answers, Serena then asked a waiter. "Um, sir? From what I know, this place is known for its live music. But, there seems to be no band tonight." she said. "To tell the truth, something bizarre just happened!" the waiter replied.

"What do you mean?" asked Serena. "There truly was a live band, early tonight. The music was great at first, but then, in the middle of their second set, they started to play badly. They checked the audio, but they said there was nothing wrong." replied the waiter.

"What happened next?" asked Serena. "Well, they said that they lost their rhythm, and they can't play their instruments well. They then stopped playing and just asked for the first set fee." said the waiter. "Huh, that IS bizarre." said Serena.

* * *

"So let's totes find another place?" asked Maria as they left. "Sure, there are a lot of places here with a live band." said Serena. "It is getting late, so let's do it in a tick." said Andy.

While they were walking, people on the street began to scatter – they we're terrified. "What the…" said Maria, as a Journeyman suddenly appeared. "Did somebody say, Tick…tock?" said the Journeyman.

"Who are you?" asked Andy. "I'm Horrorlogium! No time to miss a beat. I'm gonna grind your gears and wind you up!" said the Journeyman, as the Journeyman's lower front then suddenly disappeared. "OK, THAT'S freaky." said Maria, as Horrorlogium's pendulum then swung.

Swinging back and forth, the pendulum started to gain momentum. "What is he doing?" said Serena. "Let's not wait to find out…IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!" said Nole, as they then morphed. "Serve it up!"

The four tried to attacked Horrorlogium with their individual weapons, yet were not able do damage. "Haha, try as you might, but this body doesn't break!" said Horrorlogium, as he then prepared for his special attack. "But he looks so…old!" said Pink Ace. "Your time is up, rangers!" he said, as the ticks got louder.

"What's he doing now?" said Yellow Ace. "I dunno, but brace yourselves!" said Blue Ace, facing his Giga Gloves in front. Suddenly, Horrorlogium's then released a huge energy wave, passing through everywhere around him.

"All, behind me….FAST!" shouted Blue Ace, as the other rangers quickly rushed towards him. With the wave about to hit the rangers, the Giga Gloves suddenly created a force field to protect them. However, the wave's energy was so strong, that the force field broke, pushing them back.

"My word, I missed! Need to recharge, but for now…it's time for the present!" said Horrorlogium, as he then threw a Muger Ball towards the rangers. "Later!" he said, as he then teleported. "Just for once, can I have good night off?" said Yellow Ace.

The rangers attacked the Mugers as usual. "This…was supposed…to be…a fun…NIGHT!" exasperatedly said Yellow Ace. "Let's finish this, quick! I'm hungry." said Blue Ace.

As the rangers finished their job, they then de-morphed. "Well, another day ruined by those fashion fools." said Maria. "Please, let it go." said Serena. "Not even an open caff. All seem to have fled!" said Andy. "We could catch up on dinner at the tennis club." said Nole, as they then left Beale Street.

Back at the tennis club, Roger just finished practicing with Kei. "Phew, that was a workout!" said Roger, as he then checked his watch. "Oh, it is 11 PM already?" he said.

"It seems so. Anyway, thanks for the training session, Davis-san!" said Kei. "Just call me Roger. And you're welcome!" Roger replied, as Kei then sheathed his racket. "What an interesting kid." he said.

As Kei left, Roger then saw the four racing towards him. "Hey! How's your sight-seeing, and why are you running?" he asked, as the others then told him what happened. "Why do you think he was there?" asked Roger. "I don't know. But I deduce there is a connection with what happened to the bistro, and his appearance there." said Andy.

"I see. You think we should check it out?" asked Roger. "Can we do it tomorrow? I haven't eaten since noon!" said Nole, as everyone's stomach grumbled. "Yeah, I haven't eaten too. OK, we'll do it tomorrow." said Roger, as the rangers then went inside.

* * *

At the Dreadful Default, Don Skeletoni was happy with Horrorlogium's test run. "The trial run was a sweet success, don't you agree?" he said. "For sure, my Don! Horrorlogium surely left a nasty mark towards the rangers!" said General Duscko.

"I agree, my general! Still, what unfortunate timing it was for the Aces to appear, just before he retreated." said the Don. "I agree. However, with some modifications, he'll surely be victorious!" said General Duscko.

"Good, good. These rangers may have beginner's luck, but let's see what happens when their rhythm is off!" said Don Skeletoni. With a sinister look on his eyes, he looked towards Earth through a window. Little they know, General Mugro was there, eavesdropping behind the door.

The next day, the rangers were in class. "So, as we have learned, the main tour can be classified into 4 different tiers – the Bronze-tier, which is the lowest and are optional; up next is Silver, in which top players need to play at least 4 in a season; Gold-tier, which gives lots of points, and are mandatory for those whose rankings qualify them to be in it; and lastly, the Grand Slams, which are the most prestigious events of our sport." Pete said.

As the clock struck 11 AM, an alert from Pete's phone pinged. "Oh, it's match observation time!" said Pete. "First, I will split you into 2 groups – one will watch on Court 1, the other at Court 2." he said, as he then split them using a randomization app. "Here we go!" said Pete, as he then connected his phone to the board. There, it shows how the groups were separated:

Group A – Andy, Nole, Serena, Aga, Marin, Ana, Tomas & Samantha

Group B – Roger, Maria, Bob, Mike, Jo, Caroline, Angie & Vika

"We're grouped with the trouble twins, huh?" said Maria. "Hey, we're not that bad!" said Bob. "Yeah, we do have our boundaries." said Mike. "Whatever you say…" said Maria. "OK guys, I'll be with Group A! Group B, make sure you register to the entry personnel, OK?" said Pete.

Before they left, Roger first checked his phone. "What are you doin'?" asked Maria. "I'm checking the match we're going to watch." Roger replied. "Oh, I see! Who's playing?" Maria asked. "Let's see… It's Kei! I practiced with him yesterday." Roger replied.

"Hmm, a young gun. Is he good?" asked Maria. "Well, I did see potential in him when we played." Roger again replied. "I would like to see it myself. Come on!" said Maria, as they then left the room with the others.

On Court 2, Group B watched the juniors match between Kei and a lower-ranked American player. Seated on a spot reserved for the academy, the students were able to witness Kei's game of precision. "Wow, he's quick!" said Maria. "Yeah. He may not have the firepower, but he takes the ball so early effectively." said Jo.

"His defense is actually quite good, too. He has an excellent backhand for his age." said Caroline. "I say his timing is his best asset. He doesn't seem to be rushed." said Roger, while Kei then hits a backhand down-the-line while on the run. "Making him do a shot like that!" Roger continued.

Kei then finished the match with a forehand winner, as the students then gave a round of applause. As Kei waved his hands to the crowd, Roger then gave him a thumbs up when Kei glanced towards him.

It was lunch time, and Group B were eating together in the commissary. "Wait…that kid literally has a racket on his back?" asked Maria about Kei. "He does, yeah. Prepared for any time, you know." said Roger, as Maria returned with a smile.

* * *

Seeing that Kei was eating alone, Roger then had an idea. "Hey, is it OK if I leave you for a moment?" he asked. "Why?" Maria replied. "I'm going to sit next to Kei. He's all alone there." Roger replied. "Well, OK _._ " Maria replied. _"Just make sure you don't stay too long – we have an important mission, remember?"_ she whispered. "Don't worry. I'll be quick!" Roger replied.

"Hey!" said Roger to Kei, as he seated next to him. "Oh! _Konnichiwa_ , Davis-san. I mean, Roger!" Kei replied. "Anyway, how are you feeling?" asked Roger. "I'm feeling great! During the match, my body was holding up well." Kei replied. "Holding up? What do you mean?" asked Roger. "Well, I easily get injured, and at times I worry if I could finish matches when I feel something is wrong." Kei replied.

"That's terrible!" said Roger. "Yes. But as they say – no pain, no gain!" Kei replied. "Yes, but if you feel something wrong with your body, I think spots of recovery time could suffice. You may have excellent timing, but it does not only apply to your game." said Roger. "Well, you do have the experience. I'll think about it!" Kei replied. "Nice. Anyway, let's eat!" said Roger, as they then continued eating.

On Court 1, the match was not yet finished. It the deciding set, and the match was about to close in a tiebreaker. "This has to be one of the best matches I've seen in a while!" said Serena. "With these three tiebreak sets? You bet!" said Nole. "It is lengthy. I wonder if the other group's match has ended, though." said Andy.

"Let's see…it seems the match finished, half n hour ago." said Pete, checking on his phone. "Huh, that's been a while." said Nole. "This match has been great though! No complaints." said Ana. "I hope they finish this soon – I have to practice for my match tomorrow." said Tomas. The crowd went wild as the final ball was hit, and then gave an extended round of applause to the competitors. Nole also whistled to show his appreciation.

"Come on guys, let's eat." said Pete. As the others left, Nole then received an Ace Morpher call. "Guys…" said Nole to Andy and Serena to get their attention, as they then huddled. "Whazzup?" asked Nole. _"You know what's up, Nole."_ replied the caller, Maria. "Whoa, chill. The match just ended, OK?" Nole replied. _"I know, I got an alert. Anyway, meet us at the main gate."_ said Maria. "Sure." replied Nole, as the rangers hurriedly left.

After she made the call, Maria then saw Roger still talking with Kei. "Hey Rog, we still have that _thing_ to do!" she said. "What thing?" asked Roger, as Maria replied "Beale Street?" "Oh, that. Just a second…" said Roger.

"Hey, let's talk again later, OK?" he said, saying goodbye to Kei. "Um, OK!" replied Kei, as he wondered where they were going. Meanwhile, Horrorlogium was peeking behind the commissary window. "So they're leaving, huh? Well as they say, the early bird catches the worm!" he snickered.

At the main gate, Maria was again looking at her watch. "What's taking them so long?" she said. "Give them some slack. Match times are always unpredictable." Roger replied, as the three then eventually arrived. "Sorry we're late!" said Serena. "Finally!" said Maria.

"So, what is our initial plan?" asked Andy. "We can check out the bistro last night. As the waiter said, something odd was going on there." said Serena. "OK! Let's go there, first." Roger replied, as the rangers then left the tennis club.

When the rangers finally arrived on Beale Street, they scattered around the area, scanning using their Ace Morphers, and sharing information through the Call app. "Interesting. There's still some negative energy from yesterday, here." said Maria. "It's also here in the music store in front of the bistro!" said Nole.

* * *

"Fascinating… There is no trace around this area, a quarter-mile away from you two." said Andy. "A short ranged burst, maybe? Meanwhile, I found out there's quite a LOT here in the bistro itself." said Serena.

"Is that so? Do you think Horrorlogium attacked there first?" asked Andy. "Maybe, but the waiter said nothing weird entered." Serena replied. "I think his wave hit the bistro from afar. Anyway, let's send energy samples to Laverus. Maybe he has a solution to this." said Roger. "Will do!" said Serena, as she then sent samples to the lair using the Scan app.

As the rangers meet up on a café, Roger then tried to contact Laverus. "So, what have you found?" asked Roger. _"Well, the particles I received have strange energy readings."_ Laverus replied.

"How is it strange?" asked Serena. _"Well, they show an erratic wave pattern. There seems to be discord around it!"_ said Laverus. "OK. You see, the waiter at the bistro we went last night, said the band just lost their rhythm." said Serena.

" _Hmmm, I see. Maybe the wave makes THEM erratic, stripping off of their rhythm."_ said Laverus. "But why would the armada do something like that?" asked Nole. _"Relating to tennis, an important trait a player has is having great timing in hitting the ball. With that disrupted, players will struggle making effective shots."_ Laverus replied.

"I think I know! After their last failed attempt, the armada may be testing him before making a full attack." said Andy. "Wow, who knew the armada are kinda smart." said Nole. "Duh, they must be like, an evil empire, and all." said Maria.

"So, how are we going to reverse the effects?" asked Roger. _"Well, by reverting the pattern to its original state, those affected likely may return to normal."_ said Laverus.

"How are we gonna do that?" asked Serena. _"I do not know yet. But for now, I'll try to find an appropriate Match Medal that could help you."_ replied Laverus. "Thanks. Hope you can find it ASAP." replied Roger. _"I'll do my best!"_ said Laverus, as the call then ended.

"I think best we could do is to defeat that creep, right? It seemed to work the last time we defeated one." said Maria. "But when do we know his next attack?" asked Serena, when her phone suddenly rang. "Wait, Caroline's calling." she said, as she then answered her phone with a "Hello?"

 _"Serena, the armada is at the tennis club._ _STAY AWAY FROM HERE_ _!"_ said Caroline. Suddenly, Serena heard a scream through the phone. "HELLO?" she said, as Caroline hung up. "Guys, we have to hurry!" said Serena. "What happened?" asked Roger. "Caroline said the armada is at the tennis club, right now!" Serena replied.

"The timing's fishy. Do they know where we are right now?" said Andy. "Maybe. I think this is the full attack you were saying!" said Roger. "Well, let's not stand here!" said Maria, as they all ran back to the tennis club.

As they were near the gate, they then saw Mugers blocking the entrance. "Well, I guess we have to break in." said Nole, as they then readied to morph. "Serve it up!" they said, as they rushed towards the enemies.

Rather than attacking, however, Green Ace had an idea. "Wait, why can't we just leap over them?" he said, as the rangers did what he said. "Well that saved time!" said Yellow Ace. "Let's split up to two groups. Defeat the Mugers, and then lead those trapped inside out of trouble, OK?" said Red Ace, as the rest replied "Roger!"

* * *

Red Ace and the girls went one way, while the other guys went the opposite direction, facing more Mugers on their way. "Oh great, just MORE of them!" said Pink Ace. "What did you expect?" said Yellow Ace. "Such as the life of an Ace – just have to get used to it." said Red Ace, as the rangers charged.

Meanwhile, Blue Ace and Green Ace were in a bit of trouble in a hallway. "Uh oh, we're surrounded!" said Blue Ace. "You should not have teased them, you know." said Green Ace.

"Let's go!" said Red Ace, as the three then brought out their weapons. "Get out of the way!" said Yellow Ace, as she Handy Hammered through the Mugers. Pink Ace both used her Razor Racket and Boom Blaster to run through the Mugers. "Huh, without getting my suit scratched!" she said.

"Hiya, yah! Time to heat things up!" said Red Ace, as he then puts the Madrid Match Medal on his Slick Staff. "Aero Fuego, Flame Finish!" he said, as he twirled his staff, and then threw it towards the Muger troops. With the path clear, the three speedily resumed their rescue.

"OK, let's split up and search." said Red Ace, when suddenly, the rangers heard a loud scream: "AHHHH!" "Where is that noise coming from?" asked Pink Ace. "I don't know." replied Red Ace, as he then scanned the area for its source.

"According to the morpher, it can be traced to Room 607…and it has a high level of nega-aura inside!" Red Ace replied. _"Room 607?"_ Yellow Ace thought. "That's Caroline's room!" she said, as she then quickly fled. "Hey, where are you going?" asked Pink Ace. "She's in trouble. I have to go!" Yellow Ace replied.

"Should we follow her?" said Pink Ace. "Let's just check on the others, first. I'll go left, then you'll go right." said Red Ace, as the two then split up.

Meanwhile, Blue Ace and Green Ace were still in a bit of a jam, facing a horde of Mugers. "Any ideas to get out of this mess?" asked Blue Ace. "Can't think of anything on your own?" replied Green Ace. Suddenly, the Mugers attacked. Searching for a way to escape, Blue Ace looked at the ceiling. He then poked Green Ace and pointed above, where they saw a large metal pipe. The two nodded, as they then hang on to it.

"I wish we could only have more wiggle room…" said Green Ace. Suddenly, Blue Ace had an idea. "Hey, what if I create a force field facing down, and then drop to shove them off!" he said, as he then inserted the Auckland medal to his glove. Suddenly, the Mugers attacked them with their blasters.

"NOW!" said Green Ace, as Blue Ace then made a force field "Let go of your hand on the count of three!" said Blue Ace. "What?" said Green Ace, as Blue Ace then counted down. "1…2…3!" As the two then dropped, the force field swept away Mugers with the help of Wellington Winds, giving the rangers time and space to recover.

" _Phew,_ now it's time to whittle them away!" said Blue Ace. "Quite!" Green Ace replied, as they then put the Brisbane and Sydney medals to their respective razors. The two then charged towards the Mugers, attacking them with great power and speed.

"Let's give them the final blow!" said Blue Ace, as Green Ace replied "OK!" "Now?" asked Green Ace. "NOW!" replied Blue Ace, as both said "Thunder from Down Under!" With a flash of light from both ends, the two were able t.o shock the Muger hordes. Exhausted, the two then de-morphed.

* * *

"Well, that took longer than expected!" said Nole. "You started it." said Andy, as Nole scoffed. "I will say you may have flushed the Muger reinforcements near the vicinity. I think we can do our mission outside ranger form." said Andy, as the two then hurried to evacuate people.

Walking up the staircase, Yellow Ace sprinted towards Caroline's room. _"I hope she's alright!"_ she thought, as she eventually found her friend, just standing inside the room. "Hey, are you OK?" asked Yellow Ace to Caroline. "Wait, aren't you a…" said Caroline. "Yes, I am an Ace Ranger. I'm here to help!" Yellow Ace replied.

"Thanks, I thought I was done for!" said Caroline. "What happened?" asked Yellow Ace. "Well, a monster that looked like a giant clock came into the room and attacked me." Caroline replied. "Are you sure?" asked Yellow Ace. "Yes! It looked…" said Caroline, when she suddenly changed form and said "Like this!" "Wait, NO!" said Yellow Ace, as then a blinding light flashed before her eyes.

Back below, Red Ace and Pink Ace were helping to evacuate those stuck inside. "What kind of creep goes to someone else's room?" said Red Ace, as he then destroyed a Muger that has a player captive. "There…I think that's the last of it!" he said, guiding the player out.

"Be careful down the stairs!" said Pink Ace. "I think that's the last of them here. Let's go upstairs, check how Serena's doing." she said. "No Mugers in the hallway." said Red Ace. "Let's check the rooms!" said Pink Ace.

As Pink Ace opened a room, they then saw a player, seemingly frozen on the spot. "AHHH!" she shouted. "This person seems to have no damage. But he is not moving!" said Red Ace, who then scanned the frozen player.

"He seems to be releasing negative energy…and it's similar to the ones we found on Beale Street." said Red Ace. "You mean…" said Pink Ace. Checking the rooms, Pink Ace became distraught – horrified at the sight of petrified people. "I knew it...I think Horrorlogium is close by." said Red Ace.

Another scream for help was then heard. "What was that?" asked Pink Ace. "I don't know." said Red Ace, as he then scanned the area for its source. "It seems to be coming…oh no!" said Red Ace, as he then hurried off. "Now where he's running off to?" said Pink Ace to herself, as she then followed him.

Knowing where the scream came from, Red Ace ran off to Caroline's room. Pink Ace followed him, and both were shocked on what they saw. "I can't be…" said Red Ace. Inside Caroline's room, someone they know was frozen, right in front of their eyes – it was Serena.

"He's got her, too!" said Pink Ace, when suddenly, Serena responded. "He's here..." she said. "WHAT?" said Pink Ace. "She can talk! Where is he?" asked Red Ace _,_ when abruptly, the door shut closed. "Right on schedule!" said a voice, as the two rangers then looked behind – it was Horrorlogium! And with no escape, the Journeyman blasted the rangers with a blinding flash of light.

"Go, go, go!" said Nole, as he guided the evacuation. "Quite. I think we are done!" said Andy. _"Let's find the others."_ whispered Nole to Andy, when they were suddenly interrupted. "Excuse me, aren't you Borkovic-san and Ferguson-san?" asked Kei, whom the two just helped to get out.

" _San_?" asked Nole, as then Andy said "I'll take this." "Hey, aren't you Kei? I remember you were playing the match Roger  & Maria watched." he said. "Yes. You did attend in the academy with Davis-san, I mean Roger, am I correct?" said Kei. "Yup!" said Nole. "Could I ask where he is?" said Kei.

* * *

"Well, umm, he's not with us right now, because...he's out buying supplies!" said Nole. "We were actually with him, but he decided to go back here in the tennis club early." said Andy. "Oh, is that so…" said Kei. "Never fear, I'm sure he's fine." Andy assured him.

"Where are you going?" asked Kei, as he then saw the two sprint away. "Well, we are just going to find Roger." said Nole, as Andy then gave him a nasty look. "What?" said Nole. "Could I go to?" asked Kei. "It's quite dangerous out there, especially for a kid." said Nole. "What he meant is that we appreciate your help, but I think we can find Roger on our own." said Andy.

"I insist! _Tomadachi_ …he's my friend." said Kei. "Oh, is that so?" curiously asked Andy. "He's one of the few players I had friendly conversations with, and appreciates what I do. We talked about how we fought so hard to get where we are, and how we want to keep improving." Kei replied. Seeing how Roger meant to him, the two had no choice. " _Sigh_ , Fine! You can come." said Nole. "Thank you! I'll do my best not be a burden." said Kei, as the three then leave.

Back in his lair, Laverus was trying to think of a way to reverse the effects of Horrorlogium's attacks. "Let's see…by uploading this rhythmic pattern to the Match Medal, the particles can be normalised..." said Laverus, when suddenly an alarm went off.

As he looked towards the monitors, he had a shocking sight – the three rangers powered down, frozen at the spot. "My word!" said Laverus, as he then called Nole and Andy.

"What kind of schooling do you have in the academy? I thought top players know everything about the game." asked Kei. "Well, there are benefits being in the academy. You have legends as your lecturers, plus we also take part on behind-the-scenes of what makes a tournament tick." Andy replied.

Suddenly, Nole's morpher rang. "Um, Andy, I have to take an urgent call, if you know what I mean." he said, as he then received the call. _"We have a complication. The other rangers were trapped by Horrorlogium!"_ Laverus replied. "Wait, where?" asked Nole. _"It seems that they're at Room 607, inside the North Building."_ Laverus replied.

"Gotcha', we're on it!" said Nole. "Hey Kei, could I borrow Andy for a while?" asked Nole. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just having a great time talking with Ferguson-san." said Kei. "Nah, it's OK. And call us with our first names. We're equals on the tennis court, after all!" said Nole. "OK…Nole!" said Kei.

"Andy, we have a problem!" said Nole. "What is it?" Andy asked. "The Journeyman trapped the others at the other building." said Nole. "OK. But with Kei, we have to be careful." said Andy. "Oh yeah, Kei…" said Nole, as he puts his palm on his head. "Come on, kid. Let's keep going!" said Nole to Kei, as they then ran along.

Inside Room 607, Horrorlogium was attempting to steal the rangers' morphers from their belts. "Argh, why won't it budge?" said Horrorlogium. "It seems you've frozen the morphers, too." said Serena. "Your plan wasn't well thought out, it seems!" Roger teased. "Argh! No matter. I'll grab all of you instead!" said Horrorlogium. "You have got to be kidding me!" said Maria.

"We're here!" said Nole, as he, Andy and Kei had arrived to their destination. "There's people leaving." said Kei. Up in the sky, a helicopter then arrived. "Look, a chopper!" said Nole. "I think the World Tennis Federation sent it here forevacuation." said Andy.

As they went to the helicopter, they saw Pete inside, helping out. "Hey, it's Megaman!" said Nole. "Wait here!" he said to the two as he then ran towards Pete. "What is he doing?" asked Kei, as Andy just shrugged.

* * *

"Megaman!" said Nole. "Hey!" Pete replied. _"Um, Pete, we have to go inside and rescue the other rangers."_ whispered Nole. _"OK."_ Pete whispered back. _"However, this kid Kei wants to join us in finding Roger…and we can't put him in harm's way."_ said Nole. _"Understood. Just call him up and I'll keep an eye on him."_ said Pete.

"HEY! ANDY AND KEI, COME HERE!" shouted Nole, as he pointed and waved towards the two. "Wait, does he want us to go there?" asked Andy, as the two then rushed towards Nole. "OK, why did you call us?" asked Andy. "Well, Pete will take care of Kei here, while we wait outside for Roger to come out." said Nole. "But Nole, you said I could see him!" said Kei.

"As I said, it's dangerous. I'm sorry." said Nole, as he and Andy then left. "Don't worry, I am sure Roger's OK." said Pete. He and Kei then entered the helicopter, as Kei took a glance behind. "Have they went inside?" asked Nole. "Yes." replied Andy. "C'mon." said Nole, as they find a spot to morph. "Alright, let's go!" said Nole, as they then morphed.

Sneaking through the building, Green Ace then used his morpher to detect where the other rangers are in. "Go left, Nole." he said. "No armada mook in sight…look like they crushed them good." said Blue Ace.

As they reached the 6th floor, Green Ace searched for the room. "Room 607 is right around…that way! On the left side of the hall." he said, when the two suddenly saw Horrorlogium carrying Maria. "HEY!" shouted Blue Ace, as he pointed towards Horrorlogium.

"GAH! Well, time to buy more time!" said Horrorlogium, as his eyes then glowed. "WHAT?" said Blue Ace, as a bright flash of light then blinded the two. "That's it for now...goodbye!" said Horrorlogium, as he then fled to the roof. "Well, talking about killer looks…" said Blue Ace. "I 'm woozy, but I do not feel any other change." said Green Ace. "Me too, but we have to be careful." said Blue Ace.

Gradually, the two could see again. Trying to catch the Journeyman, they then suddenly tripped, not seeing any obstacle in their way. "Why am I slipping?" said Blue Ace. "I think the flash did more than just blind us." said Green Ace. "This is just like what happened at the bistro!" said Blue Ace. "But us simply walking now has an effect." said Green Ace. "He has upgraded. Anyway, let's walk!" said Blue Ace, as they carefully went upstairs.

In the meantime, Kei was waiting in the rescue copter for the others to return. "Um, Megalos-san…" said Kei. "You could call me Pete!" replied Pete. "Oh, OK. I kept on looking outside, and I noticed Nole and Andy were gone." Kei said. "Oh. Maybe Roger hasn't shown up so they went looking for him." said Pete.

Clutching his shorts, Kei decided that he should leave. "Hey, where are you going?" asked Pete. "I'm sorry, but I want to check there myself." said Kei with a respectful bow, as he then dashed out to the building. "WAIT!" shouted Pete. " _Sigh_ , I just hope the two have found the others." he said.

Atop the roof, Horrorlogium was ready to deliver the rangers to the armada. "What is the status?" asked General Duscko through a screen. "The time is ripe, my General! You may pick the rangers up." said Horrorlogium. "Your lines are so passé." said Maria. "You're all supposed to be like statues!" said Horrorlogium. "Maybe it's our tennis aura – isn't that what you want?" said Roger.

Reaching the top at last, Blue Ace and Green Ace have finally caught up. "Hold it right there!" said Blue Ace. "What? How did you get here so fast!?" said Horrorlogium. "If not for your disturbing gaze, we could have been faster." said Green Ace.

* * *

"Well, to cut to the chase…by trying to walk at almost the exact same pace, we got our rhythm back." said Blue Ace. "It took a while, but it all sorted out!" said Green Ace. "Drat! If that's the case, then relive it all AGAIN!" said Horrorlogium, as he again tried to rattle the two. "WATCH OUT!" shouted Green Ace, as the two tried to avoid Horrorlogium's eye blasts.

Back inside the building, Kei was looking for Roger and the others. "Nole! Andy! Where are you? Have you found them?" he shouted, searching through the empty halls.

"Hey, let's stop scurrying like rats, and attack head-on!" said Blue Ace. "Well get your shields ready, mate, because here comes a doozy!" said Green Ace, as the rangers evaded a large blast. Blue Ace then quickly materialized his Giga Gloves, creating a force field as they prepare for battle.

As Kei reached the 6th floor, he got tired and sat on the highest tread. "I have to keep searching. _Ganbatte!_ " he said. "Anyone there?" he said, as he checked one of the rooms. "Hello?" he continued. Without warning, he got stunned – inside the room, he saw a person, petrified. He then heard a booming voice coming from the roof. "GO!" the voice said, as Kei then said "What was that?", and ran to its source.

"Why rush? Don't want to savor your last moments?" taunted Horrorlogium, as he kept attacking the rangers. "Shouldn't you ask that yourself?" said Blue Ace, as his force field deflected the blasts.

" _Ugh_ , I feel so helpless!" said Roger. "Me too." said Serena. "We must do something – my mouth's getting stiff." said Maria. "We have to find his weak spot." Serena replied. "He seems to be a tough one. He virtually has no opening." said Roger.

Gotten close to Horrorlogium, Blue Ace and Green Ace were able to make hits. Horrorlogium retaliated, but the two dodged him. The two then slashed Horrorlogium on both sides, but were not able to make a scratch. "You may try for eons, but you would never break through!" said Horrorlogium, as he then quickly unveiled his pendulum, hitting them with a concentrated discord wave.

"It make take us forever, but we will never give up!" said Blue Ace, as the two looked disoriented fighting back. "You can never escape father time. Accept your fate!" said Horrorlogium.

"Found anything yet?" asked Maria. "I am not sure." said Roger. "What do you mean you're not sure?" asked Serena. "Well, in order for him to attack with his pendulum, he has to expose it. I wonder if..." said Roger.

As Roger was close to figuring out the Journeyman's weakness, someone else suddenly entered the roof. "Huh? Who is there?" asked Horrorlogium – it was Kei! "KEI!" shouted Roger. "What is going on here?" said Kei, looking towards the others.

"You know this kid? We'll I'll be." said Horrorlogium, as again attacked with his pendulum. "Wait, NOOO!" shouted Roger, as Horrorlogium then blasted Kei with a discord wave. Dazed by the blast, Kei fainted. "You dirty cheat!" said Blue Ace, clumsily swinging his razor.

"That kid was the one earlier?" asked Maria. "Yes, it was him. That monster..." said Roger, as the rangers continued to freeze.

"Hah, you both move like old men!" said Horrorlogium. "Says the grandfather clock!" said Blue Ace. Meanwhile, Kei was trying to get back up. "Ugh, what just happened? Wait...aren't they?" he said, as he jerkily hid behind the roof door.

* * *

"Hey, stay right there and I'll finish you off!" said Horrorlogium, as he readied his freeze wave. The rangers kept attacking him, but they kept on missing. "We have to keep trying!" said Blue Ace to Green Ace. _"There's sure to be another way."_ thought Green Ace. _"Eureka!"_ he thought, as he then swung his racket purposely on another direction.

"You're so off, you're not even trying to hit me!" said Horrorlogium, as Green Ace was then able to go around the Journeyman. "Brilliant!" said Green Ace. "Hey, back off my pendulum!" said Horrorlogium. Hearing that statement, Roger finally figured out his weakness. "I got it!" he said. "What is it?" asked Serena.

"This will surely be your final hour!" said Horrorlogium. "Brace yourself!" said Green Ace, as the Journeyman blasted the two. "Nole? Andy?" said Kei, shocked as he saw the two power down with his own eyes.

With all five being helpless, Kei decided to step in. "Hey, you…monster!" he said. "What is this? A kid playing hero?" said Horrorlogium, as he then targeted Kei. Although disoriented, Kei gutsily avoided his blasts, running towards the Journeyman to try and stop him.

"Don't confront him!" shouted Roger, but Kei kept going on. "How come you're still rushing?" said Horrorlogium. "Whoa, this kid has skills!" said Serena. "Quick, too!" said Maria.

As Kei neared towards Horrorlogium, he then swiftly took the racket from his back. About to hit the pendulum with his racket, the Journeyman then quickly grabbed it from Kei's hand. "As I said before – no one, touches my pendulum!" said Horrorlogium. He then threw the racket away, close to where Roger is, and then grabbed Kei.

"No…" faintly said Roger. "Let me go!" said Kei. "Being able to resist my blasts – the armada would surely want your guts!" said Horrorlogium. _"They're going to turn him to a Journeyman…or worse!"_ thought Roger.

Tense, his eyes started to dart left and right. As he then saw Maria and Serena fully frozen, Roger had enough. "Let...my friend...GO!" he shouted. Suddenly, his body then radiated red Ace Aura – the aura was so strong, he began to unfreeze. "WHAT! BUT HOW?" said Horrorlogium.

"Wait…how is this..." wondered Roger. "How did you undo my freeze wave?" asked Horrorlogium. "Why would I tell you? I don't even know!" Roger replied. _"My morpher's still off…"_ he thought, as he then saw Kei's racket in front of him.

" _Well…there's no other way."_ he thought, as he then quickly grabbed the racket. "Hey, fight someone your own level!" said Roger, as he then charged towards the Journeyman. "Is he serious?" said Horrorlogium.

All fired up with Ace Aura, the racket suddenly turned into a Razor Racket. "HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?" shouted Horrorlogium, as he then took some hits from Roger's razor. Something was wrong, however. _"I'm freezing again...must quickly finish this!"_ Roger thought.

Having sustained damage, Horrorlogium lets go of Kei. Roger then rushed towards Kei. "Hey, are you OK?" he asked. "Yes. I am fine, Roger." said Kei, as Roger gave a sigh of relief. "The way you saved me…I think you are also a ranger!" said Kei. "I guess you have seen everything, huh?" said Roger, as they both smiled.

" _Argh_ , I'm still freezing!" Roger groaned. "Are you alright?" asked Kei, when suddenly, a Match Medal dropped on his lap. "What is this?" asked Kei. "It's a Match Medal…Kei, can you give it to me?" asked Roger. Kei nodded back, and gave Roger the medal. _"Thanks, Laverus."_ Roger thought.

* * *

Getting back up after Roger attacked him, Horrorlogium was furious. "I have had it…your time is up!" said Horrorlogium. "We'll see about that!" said Roger, as he initiates an attack. "Symphonic Slash!" he said, as he swung his Razor Racket, and made a melodious strike towards Horrorlogium.

"You're not going to get me this time!" said the Journeyman, as he then avoided the attack. "You are not my sole target!" said Red Ace. From behind, the attack then hit Serena and Maria, turning them back to normal again. "Roger, you did it!" said Serena. "Yes, my neck is free again!" said Maria.

"Time to unfreeze these guys." said Roger, as he then did the same with Andy and Nole. "Nice, I can move well!" said Nole, shuffling at the spot. "I concur. All of his effects seem to have been negated!" said Andy.

The rangers all came together, as they reset for battle. "It can't be!" said Horrorlogium. "You can't stop our beat, as much as you try!" said Roger. "Let's finish this…I'm hungry again!" said Nole, as the others scoffed. "OK...IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!" said Roger, as they then morphed: "Serve it up!"

"Kei, find a place to hide…we'll finish this!" said Red Ace, as Kei then searched for cover. The rangers then transported their personal weapons, as they then charged towards the Journeyman. "Rangers that don't learn from history, are doomed to repeat it!" said Horrorlogium. "We'll create history instead!" said Red Ace, as the rangers kept fighting the Journeyman.

Suddenly, each of the ranger's Medal Pocket glowed. "What's this?" said Pink Ace. "It's the Vienna Match Medal. Try it!" said Red Ace. "Alright…let's make this place come alive!" said Pink Ace, as she then inserted the medal on her Boom Blaster.

"Fire it up!" said Yellow Ace, as then Pink Ace pulled the trigger. Music started to flow throughout the building, as the medal's effect spreads. Instantly, those inside the building returned to normal, and then evacuated quickly from the premises – including Caroline.

"What did you?" asked Horrorlogium, hearing the ruckus below. "Nothing…just getting back lost time!" said Pink Ace. "Nice one!" said Blue Ace, as she replied "No big!"

Meanwhile, inside the rescue copter, Pete was increasingly worried. "It's been a while now..." he said while looking at his watch, as he then heard the music. "Know what…I'm going in! Everyone, just stay here, OK?" he said, as he then ran towards the building, leaving the rescue workers to stand guard.

Atop the roof, the fight continued. With their respective weapons, each ranger landed a hit. "As I said – YOUR TIME IS UP!" said Horrorlogium, apparently on his last straw. As his pendulum swung, he again tried to blast the rangers with his freeze wave. "Dodge!" shouted Red Ace, as the rangers evaded the attack.

" _Argh_ , this rhythmic mist is weakening me!" said Horrorlogium, as the mist also slowed the down the sealing of his lower front. With the pendulum being now more vulnerable, Red Ace then saw the opportunity to attack. "His pendulum…NOW!" said Red Ace, as the rangers then swiftly charged towards Horrorlogium.

"Wait, it's not my time yet!" said Horrorlogium, as each ranger made a quick razor strike on his pendulum. With that destroyed, Horrorlogium became powerless. "Let's not waste any time!" said Red Ace, as each ranger then inserted the Vienna medals on their razors.

"Here we go…Symphonic Ensemble Slash!" they said, as their fivefold attack pierced through Horrorlogium. "My clock has been cleaned!" said the Journeyman as he gets destroyed, and his scraps falling to the ground.

* * *

"Phew, that was the toughest by far." said Blue Ace. "Everyone!" said Kei, as he then ran towards the rangers. "Hey, are you injured?" said Yellow Ace. "I'm fine, ranger-san!" Kei replied. "He saw us transform." said Green Ace. "Yeah, what should we do with him?" said Pink Ace. "I don't know. But for now, he's safe!" said Red Ace.

Up at the Dreadful Default, General Duscko was not happy. "Argh, those annoying rangers!" he said, as he then flipped down. "I...I know something bad is going to to happen." he said, as he then pressed the drop button.

"Come on, let's check for remaining civilians." said Red Ace, when Kei suddenly saw the Bulk Pill falling from the sky. "What is that?" pointed Kei, as the pill regenerated Horrorlogium. "It's payback time!" shouted the Journeyman. "Again?" said Blue Ace.

"KEI! I was looking for you." said Pete, who just got to the rooftop. "Pete, I'm sorry…" said Kei. "It's my fault. You were my responsibility." Pete replied. "Kid...please stay safe!" said Red Ace. "I will." replied Kei, as he and Pete hurried back to the rescue copter.

"Alright, let's summon our Zords!" said Red Ace. The Ace Zords then rampaged towards Horrorlogium, but attacked him with no avail. "Haha! I'm like a cockroach, standing the test of time!" said Horrorlogium.

"Ugh, he's still tough like kevlar!" said Pink Ace. "Don't worry…let's form the Megzazord again!" said Red Ace. The others replied "Right!" as they then shouted "Zords, combine!"

"What in tarnation?" said Horrorlogium, as the Zords combined again to form the Grand Slam Megazord. "Grand Slam Megazord, ready!" they shouted, ready for another big clash.

The Megazord tried to hit Horrorlogium with its hammer arm, but the Journeyman did not budge. However, when the Megazord kicked its knee, the Journeyman then began to stumble. "Ow, my trick knee!" said Horrorlogium. "As you said, you cannot escape father time!" said Red Ace, as the Megazord continued attacking.

In order to defend himself, Horrorlogium again used his time freeze wave. "Look out!" said Green Ace, as the Megazord then froze. "The Megazord won't budge!" said Pink Ace, as they heard the Journeyman attacking the Megazord. "Quick, any ideas?" said Red Ace. "Um, the controls are still working." said Yellow Ace. "OK. Then let's restart!" said Red Ace, as he then places a Vienna medal on the pad. _"Vienna Match Medal, scanned!"_

The whole Megazord then started to rev up, and was able to push Horrorlogium away. "Let's not stall…everyone!" said Red Ace, as they prepare for the final attack. "Big Band Blast!" said the rangers, as Horrorlogium finally disintegrated.

"Game, Set and Match!" said Red Ace, as the day's mission has been completed. "Hey look, it's the rescue copter!" said Yellow Ace, as they saw the rescue copter come close from the Megazord window. "Hey, it's the Ace Rangers!" said Caroline, as those inside the copter – including Kei – waved goodbye, then flew away.

Later, the rangers went to Laverus Lair to rest. "That was a long day..." said Serena. "A day to forget, for sure." Nole replied. "I dunno...it felt like a memorable one." said Roger. "Says the Ranger of the Day!" sarcastically said Maria, as the others laughed. "At least Kei is safe. I wonder what he is doing now." said Andy.

"Talking about Kei, why do you think he was still able to move well, even if he got zapped?" asked Serena. "I'm not sure, but maybe his great timing and footwork help him mitigate the effects." said Roger. "Hey, I have that too!" said Nole. "Maybe it was also his drive. It was surreal how brave he was, facing the Journeyman without fear." Roger replied.

* * *

"Hey, guys! Someone here wants to see you." said Pete, who just entered the room. The rangers was curious who it was, until that person greeted everyone inside: " _Konbanwa,_ everyone." "Kei?!" said the rangers in shock. "What in Laverus' name is he doing here?" asked Roger.

"Well, um…as I and Pete-san were walking back to the rescue copter, I revealed to him that you were the Red Ranger." said Kei. "Yeah… After we went to the clinic, I then set him aside and asked him about it." said Pete. "After that, I told him what happened. He then took out his phone, and the next moment I'm here!" said Kei.

"Anyway, I sent him here and explained what needs to be done." said Pete. "And that is?" asked Roger. "That I must have my memory wiped of all that I have seen on the roof." said Kei. "It had to be done, guys. Your identities must stay secret." said Pete, as the rangers paused.

"Well, you will preserve the memories we had with him before that happened…right?" asked Roger. "We do have the technology for it, plus it's safe, so there is nothing to worry!" Pete replied.

"So why is Kei here?" asked Andy. "Well, before I forget those moments, I would personally want to thank you all for saving me." said Kei. "Ah, no big. You're welcome!" said Maria. "Also, I would like to especially thank Roger. You're not only a great ranger, but a great friend too!" said Kei. "You're welcome, Kei. It means a lot!" Roger replied, smiling.

Roger then remembered something. "Oh yeah, I just forgot." he said, as he then went towards Kei. "Hey, it's my…" said Kei. "Yes, it's your trusty racket!" said Roger, giving the racket back to him. "Hey, at least it would stay as proof of what happened out there. We wouldn't have won without it." said Roger. "Thanks, Roger!" said Kei.

"Hey, surely at least _we_ could take a picture of him with us!" said Nole. "Good idea!" said Maria, as she then took her phone out. "Come on guys, groupfie time!" said Maria. "Join in too, Megaman!" said Nole, as Pete obliged. "OK." he replied, as he walked towards them. "Everyone, say...ACES!" said Maria. "ACES!" shouted the others.

"Wait, the timer's still running…" said Maria, as the camera snapped. "Ugh, I have enough of clocks today…I'm going old-school." she said, as she again tried to take a snapshot.

The next day, the rangers were watching Kei's match. "I can't believe he still has something on the tank after yesterday!" said Nole. "Determination in seizing the day – it will be the key to his success! Hours of training helps, too." said Roger.

Having match point, Kei started to look nervous. Taking too long, the umpire gave him a time violation. "What's happening?" asked Maria. For a moment, Kei somehow decided to look at his racket. Immediately, he started to calm down.

Mustering all his strength, Kei made a rare big first serve. Finishing the match with an ace, the audience stood up and loudly cheered, having watched another great match. After the players shook hands, Kei again glanced towards Roger. As Roger gave him a thumbs up, Kei then gave one back.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

This story was made during a period after I took a bit of a hiatus creating this fan fic. It may be my longest chapter as of this time, but at least it has one story and not a two-parter like the previous two. I might say I quite enjoyed making this story as it showcadses a sort of a darker story this time with more stakes. Next chapter will be made with a different story creation style because I feel my current style is not easy to create build up and pay off using that.

In the next chapter, the rangers will go to the great _carnaval_ in Rio de Janeiro! Some of the players want to play, and some want to relax. But it's not all fun in paradise, as another Journeyman tries to disrupt the scenery. Will the rangers work hard, or play hard? Find it out on **Game 8**!

 _Characters:_

 **Kei Nishioka** \- A player in his final year in the Juniors, he came from Japan to America to train being a tennis player. He's hardworking, and quite a professional, he always makes sure that he's prepared and focused on every match. He's a reserved person, but does like a bit of action. His game is based on great timing, that enabled to make shots early for quick, clean points, especially at the backhand side.

Kei is inspired by Kei Nishikori, the first male singles player from Asia to reach a Grand Slam final. He reached a career high of #4 in the world, he is one of the most popular tennis players out there with his Asian fanbase. Trained in the IMG Academy in Florida, he moved there when he was 14. His surnaname Nishioka is based on Yoshihito Nishioka, a Japanese up-and-comer who has reached #58 in the world.

 **Monster of the Day: Horrorlogium** \- A Journeyman developed by General Duscko, this seeming walking old grandfather clock is not someone you should underestimate. His power to disrupt rhythm makes players struggle on their timing, and his freeze wave makes it harder to stop his plans. His gains great power by swinging his pendulum, but he needs to expose it on order to release his special attack. He tries to be modern, but he just fails on doing so.

 _Other Thoughts:_

Believe me when I say that Roger having a racket turn to a Razor Racket is not a simple _deux_ _ex machina_. It will be explained later on, as more mysteries of the Ace Aura would be revealed. Also, I hope my Japanese words were OK. I hope my use of some of them are appropriate, hehe.

 _Disclaimer:_

Power Rangers is a property of Saban Brands. The characters are inspired by tennis personalities and should not be treated as their real life inspirations.


	8. Clouding Around

**Game 8: Clouding Around**

At the Dreadful Default, General Mugro was following Don Skeletoni. Surrounded by elite soldiers, the Don was walking at the halls on a busy day. "My Don, I would like to present a plan that I made, if you permit." said General Mugro. "I'm very busy, my general." the Don replied.

"Don't worry, I'll be brief! You see, I would like to lead a mission with Nimbad, my Journeyman!" said General Mugro. "He does not only make disastrous storms, but he'll also put players down in the dumps and create fuel for us!" he continued. "Is that so? Well then… Go! Execute your plan, my general." replied Don Skeletoni.

General Mugro left, as Don Skeletoni then went to the IHC Training Area, where General Flopez was in. "How is their training, my general?" asked the Don. "It's going swimmingly, my Don!" replied the General. "Excellent! I'll give you a mission with them on Marseille, post haste." said Don Skeletoni. "Thank you for entrusting me this mission, my Don!" said General Flopez, as he then leaves to prepare.

Back on Earth, it was the final of the Memphis tournament, where Roger faced his good friend Jo. As Roger made a quick down the line forehand, he forced Jo into an error, winning the match.

"Game, Set, and Match…Davis!" said the umpire, as the competitors then shook hands. Roger raised his arms, then waved towards the spectators in appreciation. He then saw Kei giving a thumbs up, as he then replied with one.

As the rangers wait for the awarding, they whispered about what just happened the other day. "So, Kei totes didn't remember anything, does he?" said Maria. "I think so, yeah!" Nole replied. "I greeted him earlier, and He didn't say anything special." said Serena. "Makes me wonder if that's why some seem gormless about the armada before." said Andy, as the others again looked bumfuzzled.

Later, the rangers teleported to Laverus Lair, where they did debriefing. "So, how did Roger change Kei's racket into a Razor Racket?" asked Nole. "When I and the other warriors of Ketrac first encountered the Seed Core, we received our Razor Rackets from it as a sign of accepting our fate – being the galaxy's freedom fighters." Laverus replied.

"Oh, I see." said Andy. "Yes. My team may have made the suits, but with the power of the Seed Core and the Ace Aura, anyone can turn weapons of play, the tennis rackets, into weapons of combat, the Razor Rackets." said Laverus.

"Wow, that's incredible!" said Serena. "So, why am I the only one that is able to do it?" said Roger. "Do you remember what happened that time?" asked Laverus.

"Well, seeing everyone struggling, I felt useless, frozen. But then when I saw Kei in Horrorlogium's clutches, I just…snapped!" said Roger. "Hmm, it seems you were fired up about what was happening! It made your Ace Aura overwhelmingly stronger." said Laverus. "So you think my intense Ace Aura made it that?" asked Roger. "May be." Laverus replied.

"I have question." said Serena. "How did Horrorlogium disguise himself as Caroline?" she asked. "Yeah, what was that about?" asked Maria.

"To tell the truth, I am not sure. I don't remember the Faultissimo Armada having this technology." replied Laverus. "That's scary!" said Nole. "I I think we just have to wait for the armada's next move." said Laverus.

* * *

"I think that's it for today. You're dismissed!" said Laverus, as the rangers then talked about their next stop. "So guys, I'm really looking forward to next week!" said Serena, as she then showed a magazine. "Rio de Janeiro." said Roger.

"Yup! It's a Silver-level tournament, so the venue is great." said Serena. "Not only that, I've heard _carnaval_ is going to be quite fun this year." she said, pointing on a picture in the magazine.

"You hope so. I mean, I read it is going to rain cats and dogs out there." said Andy. "Really? Is that even possible?" asked Maria. "That's just an expression. I meant rain's going to be heavy." Andy replied. "Oh, well I hope gonna turn out fine..." said Serena. "I think there are methods by the Tennis Federation to alleviate rain delays. One example is cloud seeding." said Andy.

"Well, seems only few showers throughout the week." said Maria after checking her phone for weather forecasts. "Nice!" said Serena. "No thanks. I'm not really a party guy." said Roger. " _Sigh_ , as expected. How about you, Nole?" asked Serena. Suddenly, Nole got startled, and then left the room. "What was that all about?" she said.

The following week, the rangers arrived at Rio de Janeiro. Serena and Nole were tasked for stadium maintenance at Court Gustavo, the tournament's center court. "Phew, the seats smell so funky!" said Serena, cleaning the fixtures on a hot, humid day.

"You're not wrong, sista!" said Nole, sweeping on the seat floors. "Yeah! Hey, um, could I ask you something?" asked Serena, awkwardly. "Hey, what is it?" said Nole. "Well, could I ask why you left when I talked to you about _carnaval_?" she asked.

Hearing the question, Nole then paused a bit. "Ah, well… It's an embarrassing story." he said. "It's OK! I can keep a secret." said Serena. "Um, can I tell you later? I mean, look! Director Baas arrived. We should get through all of this, quick!" said Nole. "OK…" replied Serena.

Finishing their tasks, they went to Richard Baas, the tournament director, to assess their work. "Hmm, it seems everything is in order." said Director Baas. "Does it mean we could go?" said Serena, seemingly in a hurry. "Oh. Yes, you can go!" replied Director Baas.

"Oh, man!" said Nole, as the rain started to drop heavily. "Ugh. I was hoping to go to check the festival floats." said Serena, as then Nole looked spooked. "Um, Nole, what's happening to you?" she asked. "Um, nothing!" he replied.

Nole looked towards the chairs, but then noticed something odd. "Wait, what's happening with the seats?" he wondered. Upon inspection, they noticed the chair began to stain with blue spots. "What in the world?" exclaimed Serena. "Man… We worked hard on this!" maddeningly said Nole. "Commiserations, but you have to clean it up again so you can earn credits." said Director Baas.

"Someone had to be messing with us!" said Nole. "But we're the only ones here." Serena replied. At the back of the stadium however, someone was grinning. That person was holding a small bottle, which they then put inside their pocket, and then leaves.

Back at Laverus Lair, the other rangers were also doing some tidying. "Phew, I'm so done for." said Maria. "Yup, cleaned up this whole break room." said Roger. "Aye! Let's take a breather." said Andy, as he and Maria then took seats.

* * *

"Hey, Andy!" said Maria. "What?" Andy asked. "Laverus said that Roger transformed Kei's racket into a Razor Racket, mainly because he fired up his Ace Aura, right?" she said. "It seems so, yes." he said. "What about if we train to see if we can tap in on that?" she replied. "Hmm... That sounds splendid!" he said.

An alarm suddenly rang inside the lair. Meanwhile at Court Gustavo, Nole and Serena again finished cleaning up the seats. "That's the last of it." she said, when suddenly their morphers rang. "Come on." she said to Nole.

"Sir, we have finished wiping out the seat stains!" said Serena. "Nice job! I'll check them myself, after which you may go!" said Director Baas. However, Serena and Nole already left. "Sorry, director. There's an emergency!' she said, as Director Baas then shook his head.

The rangers assembled on a road, looking towards a cloud-shaped nuisance. "A gloomy day, isn't it?" said the Journeyman. "State yourself!" said Roger. "A bossman, huh? My name is Nimbad, and I think you could guess what I can do!" he said, as he then quickly unleashed a deluge of rain.

" _Argh_ , I'm so wet!" said Nole. "It seems we got the seat stains! But how?" said Serena. "Let's not be wet blankets. Come on!" said Roger, as the rangers readied to morph. "Serve it up!"

The Ace Rangers charged with their individual weapons. Green Ace then thought of a combo attack, using Pink Ace's Boom Blaster to give ammo. "Let's get this ball rolling!" he said, powering the energy with his Sling Slasher and then throwing it to Nimbad.

As it was about to hit, Nimbad was able to make his body dodge it. "Our individual weapons are not working. Let's use our Razors!" said Red Ace. Slashing Nimbad, they were able to cut through him. "We got a hit!" said Blue Ace, when suddenly the cloud tufts absorbed the water from the ground.

"What is happening?" said Yellow Ace, as the rangers saw those tufts turning into small versions of Nimbad, the MiNimbus. "Taste the power of our gale!" said Nimbad, as he and the MiNimbus tried to blow the rangers away. "This guy has more air than you, Roger!" said Pink Ace. "Very funny." replied Red Ace sarcastically.

From someone's home, a dragon _carnaval_ float suddenly got swept away. " _Ay, ai, ai!_ " said the owner of the float. "Stand firm, guys!" said Red Ace through the blowing winds. Shockingly, the float was going towards Blue Ace. "Ah!" he said, freezing on the spot. Yellow Ace quickly saw what was happening, as she said "Look out!" She then stood in front of him, swiftly cutting the float in half.

"Stay focused!" said Yellow Ace, as Blue Ace then snapped out. "Oh…" said Blue Ace. "ATTACK!" shouted Nimbad, as he then ordered the MiNibuses to do hydro blasts. "I got you!" said Blue Ace, as he then defend the other rangers with his Giga Gloves. From behind, Red Ace and Pink Ace jumped, swiftly cutting through the MiNimbuses and destroying them.

" _ARGH_ , My patience is waning!" said Nimbad, as he then charged up. "What's he doing?" said Pink Ace, hearing loud thunder. In a flash, Nimbad unleashed a big bolt of lightning, gravely hitting the rangers, powering them down. "He's so strong." said Nole. "Time to do what those one hit wonders can't!" said the Journeyman.

As Nimbad prepares for his final strike, the rangers then got teleported away. "Almost had them!" said Nimbad, stomping mad with his cloudy feet. Before he continued his rampage, the sun starts to shine brighter. "Oh no!" he shouted, as he then retreated to the Dreadful Default.

* * *

Inside Laverus Lair, the rangers tried to recover. "That was a sticky wicket." said Andy. "You can say that again. That creep really kicked our butts!" said Maria. "At least we know what his powers are." said Roger. "I figured that being based on a cloud, his weakness may be related to it." Laverus said, as he goes to the medal room.

"Wait, do you know something we can use?" asked Serena. "Maybe you can try these!" said Laverus. "These are Miami Match Medals! I have a theory that he could be affected by heat." he continued. "Wow, that was fast!" said Maria, as then each ranger took a medal.

As Serena grabbed one, he noticed Nole sitting, still not saying a word. "Nole, are you OK?" she asked, as Nole snapped out again. "WHAT? Oh, yes, I'm fine!" he replied, as he then took a medal. Serena looked towards him, concerned about him spacing out.

Later that night, Nole and Serena returned to Court Gustavo, where someone was practicing. "Hey, isn't that Marcelo?" she said. "And that's Director Baas…I think we're in trouble." said Nole, as the two then quickly ran towards the court.

"Director Baas, we're sorry for leaving you earlier!" apologized Serena. "It's OK! Apology accepted." Director Baas replied. "Really? Thank you!" said Serena. "Yeah, Pete said that he was the one who called for you two." said Director Bass, as other two then looked a bit puzzled.

"Anyway, I will see you two tomorrow for Day 1! Have a good night." said Director Baas. "Marcelo, just tell supervisor when you're done, OK?" he continued, as he then left the court. "Huh, Megaman covered for us." said Nole.

As Marcelo wiped his face with a towel at his bench, he then felt something's not right. "AH!" he screamed, seeing his face on a mirror. "What was that?" said Serena, as she and Nole then rushed towards him.

"Is everything alright?" Serena asked. "Yes, but my face isn't!" Marcelo replied, as the rangers see his blotchy, messy face. "What happened to it?" asked Nole. "Well, I just dried my face off with this towel, and now I look like a Dalmatian!" Marcelo angrily replied.

"Nole, these spots look familiar." said Serena, checking on Marcelo's face. "Oh yeah!" Nole replied. "Wait, what's the problem?" asked Marcelo. "These spots look like the ones we saw on the seats!" said Serena.

"Wait, I'm hearing something." quietly said Nole. As the three cautiously approach the sound's source, they then saw someone beneath one of the stadium seats. "Who is that?" said Marcelo, as Nole then hushed him. As they checked under the seats, suddenly, the person hiding bolted away.

"STOP!" shouted Nole, as he then makes chase. "We'll take care of this." said Serena, putting her hand in front of Marcelo for him to stay put. The rangers then chased the guy around the area, following wherever he goes.

The pursuit continued, until they cornered the felon in a fence. "HEY!" shouted Serena, seeing a hooded person. "Show us your face!" said Nole, as the hooded person then turned around.

"Fabio Panini?" said the two, as Fabio then removed his hood. "It's was just a harmless prank, _i miei amici_!" said Fabio, showing a small bottle from his hand. "See? The ink's water activated." he continued.

* * *

"Bro, clean up the mess you made." said Nole. "For real?" Fabio replied. "Yes, or I'll have to give you an infraction. I know you're already in probation." Nole rebuked. Fabio gave him a nasty look. "You've become a stuck up, bro." said Fabio. "I realized this during the invasion – maybe it's time to grow up." said Nole, as Fabio then scoffs back and begrudgingly gave the ink bottle.

Later, the three returned to Court Gustavo. To apologize, Fabio then gave Marcelo a fresh towel from his own bag. "Here." said Fabio, as Marcelo then wiped his face with it. "I'm sorry for earlier. I thought it was a harmless prank." said Fabio.

"Well, it's OK, I guess. No harm done." said Marcelo. "Me looking silly was a bit funny, had to admit." he continued, as he and Fabio then laughed. Near the bench, a clay sweeper was doing his job. After hearing the two's conservation however, he then started to smirk.

Monday came, and the Rio tournament was on the way. Serena, Nole, Caroline and Bob were watching from their seats, as Marcelo was about to win his first point. "Hey, I've heard about trouble here yesterday." said Caroline. "Yeah, someone put invisible ink on these seats." Serena replied.

"Oh, really? Were the Wright Brothers have something to do with it?" said Caroline, as Bob then overheard their talk. "Hey! It was not our work." he replied. "It was actually Fabio!" said Nole.

Meanwhile, Fabio was walking to a practice court. "Wonder where coach is?" he said. Suddenly, armada troops appeared. "Who are you?" said Fabio, anxiously. In front of him was General Mugro, chuckling like a mad man. "What's so funny?" said Fabio. General Mugro then threw a mysterious orb from his hand, releasing a sinister dark mist. "NO!" shouted Fabio, as he slowly gets enveloped by the mist.

Back at Court Gustavo, Marcelo has won his match. "Nice!" said Nole, when suddenly it started to rain. "Nole, I hear screaming!" said Serena. "Let's check it out." Nole replied, as the two then stood up. "Hey, where are you going?" asked Caroline. "It's an emergency! I'll call you later." Serena replied, as the two ran off. "Those two have been close lately." said Caroline.

On the grounds, Nimbad was causing trouble, along with some Mugers that surround him. Serena and Nole rushed to where the Journeyman was, calling the others for help. "Anyone there?" she called through her morpher.

The three other rangers were in Marseille, fighting against General Flopez and his Muger troops. "Let them eat Razor!" said Pink Ace, slashing with her Razor Racket. Green Ace then did the same with his, and so did Red Ace.

"It's great to be in France this time of day!" said General Flopez, overlooking from atop a building. Suddenly, the rangers received a call from Pete. "Hey guys, the federation will activate an anti-Muger shield around the stadium! Can you hold the troops a bit longer?" he said. "Don't worry, we can handle this." Red Ace replied.

With the Mugers destroyed, the anti-Muger shield was then activated. "Good job, everyone! The shield will be up for a while. Our forces will hold up the fort, so to speak when you return to Rio." said Pete. "Great!" said Pink Ace. "Well, this outcome is unfavorable." said General Flopez. " _Adieu!_ Until next time, rangers!" he said, teleporting back to his base.

"Well, that was quite a workout." said Maria, as the rangers powered down. "Only Mugers. It's quite peculiar." Andy replied. "Wait, guys! Someone's calling." said Roger. "It's Serena!" he continued.

"What is it?" asked Roger. "Rio is being attacked by Nimbad and Mugers! We need your help." Serena replied. "OK, we'll be there." he said. "Guys, Nimbad is back!" he continued, as the three hurried back.

* * *

"Hey! Why are you showing your face here again?" said Nole, confronting the enemies. "Why? What's wrong with my face?" Nimbad replied. Suddenly, the three other rangers joined up. "Sorry, we we're busy." said Roger. "It's OK. Seems the armada were busy, too." Serena replied.

"No one's answering my question! You'll pay for those insults, rangers! Mugers…attack!" said Nimbad, as the Mugers then charged. "What a softie!" said Maria. "Yeah! Let's show him how to be tough! IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!" said Nole, as they then morphed.

Blue Ace and Pink Ace tried to damage Nimbad, while the rest fought off the Mugers. "Haha! You have attacked me before. It won't work!" said Nimbad. Yellow Ace meanwhile has finished her share of Mugers. She then tapped Pink Ace's shoulder.

"Hey, let's do our combo attack again!" said Yellow Ace. "OK!" Pink Ace replied, as the two combined their individual weapons to form the Boom Hammer. "Time to blast him off! Victory Vortex!" they said, as Nimbad again got whipped by the whirlwind. As Nimbad dropped, the ladies and Blue Ace then saw an opening. "Let's use our new medals!" said Yellow Ace, as the three then inserted the Miami medals on their Razors.

Blue Ace, Yellow Ace and Pink Ace charged towards Nimbad, slashing him with big strikes. "HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?" said the Journeyman, as his cloud tufts began to disappear. "It's working! Keep it up." said Blue Ace, but then Nimbad quickly whisked away, leaving the Mugers behind. "What a coward." said Pink Ace, as the rangers then finished the rest.

"That battle was a doddle!" said Green Ace, as the rangers then powered down. The rangers then received an incoming call from Pete. "Hello again, rangers!" said Pete. "What's up, Megaman? I mean, Pete?" Nole replied, looking a bit embarrassed.

"I have some bad news to tell you, but I would like to meet you all privately on my room, ASAP." said Pete. "OK, we'll be on our way!" said Roger. "A private meeting? Sounds very serious." said Serena. "He said to meet him ASAP. Let's hurry!" said Roger, as they rushed to the Academy's tennis club lodging.

"So he just left?" Pete asked. "After the Mugers were defeated, yeah." Roger replied. "And Nimbad was here while this was all happening, right?" asked Pete. "Yeah. Maybe it was their plan – to divide and conquer." Andy replied.

"OK. I wonder if it's connected to the issue I'm about to tell you." said Pete. "What issue?" asked Nole. "Something horrible happened – Fabio Panini was missing." said Pete. Nole and Serena were shocked. "Wait, what?" said Nole. "As in, troublemaker Fabio?" said Serena. "Um, yes, that Fabio." Pete replied.

"We just saw him the other day. How is that possible?" said Serena. "I don't know, but his coach said that on his way to the practice courts, he just found Fabio's tennis bag on the ground. Director Baas told me about it." Pete replied. "What about the courts?" asked Nole. "Nothing. He was not there." Pete replied.

The two started to wonder. "It was likely the armada's doing, but do you have any idea why they would kidnap someone like him?" asked Serena. Roger figured it out. "They're going to turn him into a Journeyman." he said. "Oh yeah! Didn't Laverus tell us something about that?" said Maria.

"Yeah. They we're probably making diversions to execute their plan smoothly." said Pete. "I get he has talent, but frankly he's a goofball. Can he really be a threatening Journeyman?" said Serena.

* * *

Inside the Dreadful Default, General Mugro, General Flopez and Nimbad were checking on Fabio, captured in a pod. "So, this is the mischief-maker you were talking about?" said General Flopez. "Yes, he is! With the power of the nega-aura, he's going to do more than just pranks!" General Mugro replied.

"Still sounds a bit silly, but that could be interesting." said General Flopez. "It will be!" said General Mugro. "Come on, Nimbad! Let's leave them here and we'll continue causing trouble." he continued, as he and Nimbad then left.

As General Flopez looked at the controls, someone else then entered the room. "Oh, my Don, it's you! I deeply apologize for failing my mission." said the General. "You are forgiven, my general." Don Skeletoni replied.

"Thank you for your kindness, my Don." said General Flopez. "You may have failed on acquiring the trophy, but no matter – I do have another mission for you, my general." said Don Skeletoni.

The next day, Director Baas came to an academy class. "As you may have heard, there were reports of someone missing after an armada attack, here at the grounds." he said, as someone then rose her hand.

"Yes, Ms. Vika Levin?" he said. "Hey, um, if we do meet an armada member, do we have a way to contact the Ace Rangers?" said Vika, as the others then snickered. "What? I'm serious." she said. "Well, you should first contact the tennis federation if that happens, and they will quickly bring a special task force to protect you." said Director Baas.

The alarm rang, as the rangers then received a call from Laverus. "Wazzup?" said Nole. "There's a Journeyman attack at Ipanema beach." Laverus replied. "OK, we're on it!" said Nole. "Seems Nimbad's planning to rain on everyone's beach day!" said Maria, as the rangers then hurried out.

At Ipanema Beach, the morphed rangers were able to catch the Journeyman, causing trouble. "Stop right there…Nimbad?" said Red Ace. "I don't think it's Nimbad, everyone." said Yellow Ace. The rangers was instead seeing a clown-like monster, doing weird pranks to beach goers.

There was chaos everywhere – someone was seemingly trapped on a wave while they're surfing; a group was being fried in the hot sun with their backs seemingly smothered in cooking oil. Using a mysterious, dark fog, the Journeyman was able to turn sand castles into living sand creatures.

"You are stark raving bonkers!" said Green Ace. The Journeyman then let out a dark gas towards the rangers, conjuring multiple beach balls that bonked on the rangers' heads. "Ouch, ouch." said Red Ace. "This is so not cool!" said Pink Ace. "Cut it out!" said Yellow Ace. The rangers tried to get away from them, but they were still getting followed. "They're like pesky magnets!" said Blue Ace.

Annoyed, the rangers then used their Razor Rackets to deflate the balls. "Heh, we did cut it out." said Blue Ace. Suddenly, gas coming from the balls quickly enveloped the balls, transforming those into big metal spike balls.

"WATCH OUT!" said Red Ace. "Coming through!" said Yellow Ace, as she then swiftly used her Handy Hammer to destroy all the spike balls. "Phew! Broke a sweat there." said Pink Ace. "Alright, let's take him down!" said Blue Ace, as they then charged towards the Journeyman.

However, the Journeyman changed into a fog-like state, as the Journeyman then charged towards the rangers. "What in the world?" said Yellow Ace, as the fog then attacked Red Ace and Green Ace and then flew away. The two then powered down, dropping to the ground.

* * *

"ROGER! ANDY!" said Pink Ace, as she and the others powered down and rushed towards the two. "Are you OK?" asked Maria, checking on Roger. "Oof. What just happened?" he said. "Hey, can I whisper you something?" he continued. "Yes?" Maria replied. Suddenly, Maria screamed, as she felt something on her hair. "What was that? GET IT OUT!" she said as she kept screaming.

"There!" said Nole, as he removed a hermit crab from Maria's hair. "Hey Serena, could I ask you something?" said Andy. "Um yes?" Serena replied. "What do you call a drummer, who plays over the top?" asked Andy. Serena became confused. "Uh, what?" she asked again. "Bangers and smash!" Andy replied, as he then started laughing. "I'm getting migraines with this…" exclaimed Maria.

"Wait a second, guys. Something is heading towards us from that direction." said Roger pointing towards the sky. "What is it?" Nole asked, as they then heard Roger laughing away. "Hey, where are you going, mister?" said Maria, as Roger ran away to the ocean. "Um, we have to get them to the lair. Now!" said Serena.

"So, you actually faced a different Journeyman?" Laverus replied. "And he apparently turned our team brains into fools." said Nole. "I scanned these two, and both seem to have high levels of nega-aura." said Maria.

The rangers looked towards the two, still doing silly things. "The two are driving me crazy, man. How do we get them back?" asked Nole. "I'll see what I can do." Laverus replied.

"So, we now have two Journeyman messing around." said Nole. "Yeah, it's totes strange." said Maria. "Do you think it's because of the _carnaval_? There's going to be a lot more visitors in Rio." said Serena. "Maybe. Could be a distraction like with Horrorlogium?" Nole replied.

"Ugh, I feel so useless right now." said Maria. "What do you mean?" asked Serena. "Like, these two helped us when we were in big time trouble. I just want to return the favor." Maria replied. "You and me, both!" said Serena.

Back at the Dreadful Default, General Mugro checked up on Fabio with Nimbad. "HEY! WHO IN DON'S NAME TOOK MY PRISONER?" he shouted. " _Sacrebleu_ , what's this brouhaha I'm hearing?" said General Flopez, who just entered the room.

"My player is gone!" said General Mugro. "You mean that joker?" General Flopez replied. "Yes, him! You have anything to do with this?" said General Mugro. "I am not sure what you're talking about…" General Flopez replied. "Wait a second…I remember now." he then continued.

"What?" said General Mugro. "I turned that plebeian into a true monster of mischief. He'll make the festivities more fun, at least for us." General Flopez replied. "But why are you nosing in with my plans?" said General Mugro, angry about what he heard. "I thought I could unlock his best potential, that's all." General Flopez replied. "And I can't?" said General Mugro, as General Flopez replied "Well…"

" _Argh_! Why I outta…" General Mugro grumbled. Don Skeletoni then entered. "My Don!" said both Generals and Nimbad. "Greetings, my generals!" said Don Skeletoni. "My Don, not only did General Flopez failed on his plan, but he also stuck his nose on mine!" said General Mugro.

"The past is in the past, my general." said Don Skeletoni. "Wha, why is he not punished?" argued General Mugro. "We have more urgent issues, seeing the rangers' lynchpins are out. Let's now talk about our next plan of attack, my generals." said Don Skeletoni.

"Oh. Well, I was thinking Nimbad should create a big storm, enough to stop the tournament!" said General Mugro. "What an unexpected idea!" Don Skeletoni replied. "Of course I need lots more nega-aura for that, so that is why he'll first make a downpour!" said General Mugro. "Yeah, I'm going to drench them real good!" said Nimbad.

* * *

"Talking about unexpected…" said an invisible voice. "Who is there?" said General Mugro, when then a dark fog appeared in front of them. "My Don, may I suggest spreading some chaos in _carnaval_ , while this cloud creature rain on the players' parade?" said the Journeyman.

"I have a name, you know!" said Nimbad. "That plan is great. Actually, I'm impressed with your work. What is your name again?" asked Don Skeletoni. "It's Clownini, my Don. Much obliged!" Clownini replied. "You're welcome, Clownini. I have good things in store for you." the Don replied. Clownini then smiled.

"Ugh, scary clown teeth!" said General Mugro. "Deploy these Journeymen, my generals!" said Don Skeletoni. "Yes, my Don!" the generals replied, as they then had a stare down before they left.

Back at Laverus Lair, the rangers were waiting for Laverus to find a solution for Roger and Andy. "So, um, what just happened the other day?" she asked, as then Nole got startled. "Oh, you mean the time I just froze?" Nole asked. "Yeah, like what were you thinking at that time?" asked Serena, as Nole then hesitated. "You can trust me, you know." she continued. " _Sigh_. Alright… Just don't laugh, please?" he said. "Promise, I won't." she replied.

"OK. The thing is…I'm scared of big floats." said Nole. "Oh. OH, now I see!" Serena replied. "That's the reason why I don't want to go to the _carnaval_. When I was a kid, I had an accident while me and my parents were watching a parade. I had to go through therapy because of it, and playing tennis is part of that." he continued.

"Wow, I never knew about that!" said Serena. "Yeah. I tried to move again through tennis, and I never stopped moving ever since. Except last year for my injuries, of course." Nole continued. "OK. So why didn't you tell me much earlier?" asked Serena.

"Come on, I'm the tough guy! No one's gonna be intimidated with me and my nonsense fear." Nole replied. "Well, I think you opening up to me is courage in itself." said Serena. "Yeah, I guess so." Nole replied.

"Matches at Rio are suspended right now, guys!" said Maria, receiving an alert. "Rain?" said Nole. "It's quite heavy, according to updates" Maria replied. "Oh, I hope it quickly calms down!" said Serena. "I think you all should get back to your quarters. I'll give you a ring when I get something." said Laverus, as the rangers then teleported out.

"Phew, what a day." said Nole, resting back on his player quarters in Rio. With only sound of raindrops heard from the outside, he then flashed back on moments of what happened in the past:

Young Nole was holding a balloon, watching a parade. His father was searching for him, as young Nole was facing a small car. In a hospital, his father apologized for what happened, as a doctor said he needed physical therapy.

On an airplane, his father told him something. "Nole, do you want to do something fun when we get home?" said his father, showing a magazine to him. "See this guy? With a racket and ball, you can fly like him someday. You want to try playing tennis?" his father asked.

As Nole finished reminiscing, he then looked towards the window. "Ugh, it's still raining." he said. With the other players inside the hotel frustrated by the rain delay, nega-aura then began to exude from them. Nimbad – who was hiding in the clouds – started to absorb the nega-aura. "Not bad for a softie, huh?" said Nimbad, as rain kept pouring around the area.

* * *

Weather became better the next day, as Bob writes some notes during class. "Come on, work!" he said, shaking his pen to get the ink out. "Ah, no go!" he said in frustration, when suddenly ink from the pen spurted out of control.

With ink all over his face, Bob then heard someone chuckling. "Hey, who did this?" he said, then looking towards Roger and Andy's way. "You two, what's the big idea?" shouted Bob angrily. "You shouldn't be a twit about it, mate!" said Andy. "Yeah, you yourself should appreciate a good prank." said Roger, as the goofy rangers then made a silly handshake.

"Well I'll show YOU a great prank!" said Bob, storming towards the two. Quickly noticing an altercation about to happen, Pete decided to split them up. "Hey, stop it, you three!" he said. Mike also helped, trying to calm Bob down. "Hey, it's just a prank, OK bro?" he said.

As the alarm rang for observation class, Pete then made a decision. "OK, I don't know what's going on with you three, but I will split you into different groups so you could just all simmer down, alright?" he said, as the students then leave the room.

Seeing what happened, Nole followed Roger, while Serena followed Andy, and signaled Maria to tell Pete about the circumstances. "We're sorry for Roger and Andy acting like this." said Maria. "What do you mean?" asked Pete. "Well, this new Journeyman we faced yesterday, like, attacked the two, with silly gas?" Maria replied.

"Oh? If that's the case, then all five of you should keep an eye on each other." said Pete. "OK, I'll just tell the others!" said Maria. "Call me if something goes wrong, OK?" said Pete as Maria leaves the room. "I will!" Maria replied.

On Court Gustavo, a local player named Teliana was playing against Paula, an Argentinian. "Hey, have you seen any signs of the Journeymen?" asked Serena. "Not really, no." Nole replied, as the two were on watchdog duty around the arena.

"Um, how are Roger and Andy doing?" asked Serena. "They're doing fine! Maria's with them." Nole replied, as they kept on scouting the area. The match goes on, and it was eventually the 2nd Set. "Guys, I'm gonna take a #1!" said Roger to his classmates during a changeover.

Later on, Caroline received a call from Roger. "Hello?" she asked. "Hey, what's you're ranking again?" he replied. "Um, #2"? she said. "Oh really?" he asked. "Yeah, why?" she replied. "Because you smell like one!" Roger replied, as he then hang up.

"Ugh, did Roger get hit on the head during practice?" said Caroline, as Andy then shrugged. "Something's weird going on with him." she continued. "Maybe he's stress relieving. It's not easy being #1, after all." Maria replied. " _Sigh_ , well Serena's handling herself pretty well. Maybe he needs more friends." said Caroline.

The three continued watching the match, as Teliana was about to hit a serve. As she then made an ace, the skies suddenly turned dark, and a downpour of rain then fell down. "Play suspended!" said the umpire. Teliana and Paula then quickly packed their tennis bags, frustrated having to wait during another rain delay.

* * *

Suddenly, Nimbad appeared dead center on court, unleashing strong winds all around. During that moment, the line judges transformed into Mugers. A clay sweeper then approached the Journeyman, revealing his true form as General Mugro.

"Hahaha! You think it's lovely this time of year? I will make him drown all of those thoughts out!" said General Mugro, as Nimbad then absorbed the nega-aura from the two terrified players. "Oh, I love the sound of fear in the afternoon!" said General Mugro, as the crowds scattered and panicked.

With chaos around the stadium, Serena approached Maria. "Hey, we need to morph!" whispered Serena. "Caroline! Um, could you go to Pete and tell him what's happening?" said Serena, as Caroline replied "OK!" "Hurry!" said Maria. "Andy, Come on!" said Serena, but Andy did not respond. She then yanked Andy away.

The ranger arrived at the comfort room where Roger was in, but then saw people rushing to get out. "Oof, what's that smell?" said Serena. "Guys!" said Roger, as the three then entered. "Wait, did you actually took a dump?" asked Maria. "No, but I did put a stink bomb." Roger replied, giving Andy a high five. "Wait, you're in with this?" said Maria, as they then hear Nole's voice.

"Hey, guys!" said Nole from the outside. "We're here!" shouted Serena, as he then followed her voice. "Whoa, that's some strong donkey cheese I smell!" Nole replied. "It's actually a stink bomb I made, my kind sir!" jokingly said Andy. "At least no one's here now." said Serena. "Everyone…IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!" she said, as the rangers then .

Back at the stadium, a huge storm kept swirling around. "Stop it right there!" said Yellow Ace, as the rangers quickly broke into action. "As expected! Nimbad, I'll let you have all the fun, K?" said General Mugro. "Yes, sir!" Nimbad replied, as General Mugro then teleported out.

"You guys ready?" said Blue Ace, when suddenly Red Ace went in front. "I'm doing all the leading here, bub!" said Red Ace. "No, I volunteer!" said Green Ace as he then budged in.

"Hey, I'm the Red Ranger! I should lead." said Red Ace. "I'm the smartest – I should lead!" Green Ace replied. "No, I should!" said Red Ace, as he then slapped Green Ace's face. "NO, I SHOULD!" shouted Green Ace, as he then slapped back. The argument quickly succumbed into a comedic slapfight, as the two flailed their arms willy-nilly against each other. "Break it out, guys!" said Blue Ace, who himself got stuck into the two's antics.

"This looks SO familiar." said Yellow Ace. "Yup, they're acting like stooges." said Pink Ace. " _Tsk_. Why are we cleaning up their mess…" she continued, as the two ladies proceed to attack Nimbad. Meanwhile, Blue Ace was trying to put the jokers in line. "STOP! Can you two focus on him instead?" he said.

The ladies tried to attack Nimbad with their Miami medal-powered Razors, but they noticed something's wrong. "It's not working!" said Pink Ace, as the ladies kept trying on damaging the Journeyman. With Nimbad distracted by the ladies, Blue Ace then made a surprise medal-powered Giga Glove punch. "What?" said Nimbad, as he then got knocked back.

"Hey Andy, can you help us out?" said Yellow Ace, but Green Ace just goofed around. "It's not the time for dilly-dallying, Andy!" said Yellow Ace, when suddenly Green Ace just stopped. "WHY ARE YOU WALKING AWAY?" shouted Pink Ace, as Nimbad then shoved the three rangers off.

"Not feeling it today, eh?" said Nimbad, as he then produced ball lightning, that he then threw towards Green Ace. "ANDY!" shouted Blue Ace, when suddenly, Green Ace turned around. In a split second, Green Ace was able to scoop the ball lightning with his Sling Slashers.

* * *

"Oh no!" said Nimbad, as Green Ace swiftly then ricocheted the attack back to him. "BZZT!" said the Journeyman, as he was shocked by the amplified attack. "No way!" said Pink Ace, stunned on what they saw.

"He's paralyzed! Come on." said Blue Ace, as the three again attacked Nimbad with their Razors. With the Journeyman dazed, the rangers quickly chipped away his tufts. "Whoa, that was quite a buzz!" said Nimbad as he recovered, but with only his energy core remained. "Wait…WHAT?" he said, hurrying to reabsorb water.

"Uh, uh, gotta go!" said Nimbad, quickly flying to the sky. "Look!" said Yellow Ace, as the rangers tried to chase him — the Journeyman, however, escaped out of sight. " _Argh_ , he's gone!" said Blue Ace, pounding his fist in the air in frustration. As the rangers powered down, Nole then received a call.

"Hello?" said Nole. "Great news rangers! I had found the perfect solution for your crazy conundrum." Laverus replied, then transporting two Match Medals to Nole. "Those are Stanford Medals! Give it to Roger and Andy, and their minds will be as sharp as before." he continued. "Wow, thanks!" said Nole, as he then hang up.

"Ooh, what's these new shiny medals?" Maria asked. "Guess these medals make them less foolish." Nole replied, as he then gave the medals to Roger and Andy. As the two held the medals in their hands, they then started to return to normal. l. "Uh, what a head rush." said Roger. "Wait, did we just do a comedy bit?" said Andy.

Laverus again called Nole. "Hello?" said Nole. "Did the medals work?" Laverus asked. "Yeah, they did!" Nole replied. "Excellent! And just in time. According to my scans, Nimbad is approaching towards the _Sambadrome_." said Laverus. "I knew it! They're targeting the _carnaval_." said Serena. "There's going to be so many people in there. Let's move!" said Roger.

The rangers arrived at the _Sambadrome_ , but were greeted by a dark fog circling the area. "Now THIS seems familiar." said Serena. "Eh, seen stranger things." Maria replied. Nole then screamed. "What was that?" asked Roger. "Hang about..." said Andy, as the rangers then saw Nole shivering in fear.

"Nole, are you OK?" asked Maria, but Nole did not reply. "What's the matter with him?" asked Roger, as Serena then approached Nole. "Nole." she said. "Serena, is everything all right?" asked Andy, as Serena and Nole then walked towards the others.

Nole then took a breath. "OK. I have to tell you an embarrassing secret – I'm scared of parade floats." he said. "Really?" said Maria, chuckling a bit. "Hey!" said Serena. "Oops, sorry." said Maria, as Serena then saw Roger smirking at the back. "Um, sorry." he said.

"It's alright, mate!" said Andy. "Yeah, I mean it's brave to open up your secret to us. I mean, I have my own issues I'm not ready to let out in the world." said Maria. "Well, thanks for understanding!" said Nole.

Suddenly, a guy running away accidentally elbowed Roger. "THEY'RE ALIVE!" shouted the person. "Alive? What does he mean…" said Roger, as more people fled the vicinity. "Let's check there!" he said, as they then approached the root of the commotion.

As they got close, they then saw more people running away from some creatures. "Whoa, are those?" said Serena. "They look like… Oh no, TIGERS!" shouted Maria. "Those are actually jaguars." said Andy. "Regardless…RUN!" said Serena, as the rangers then tried to get away.

* * *

" _Ow_!" said Nole, as a jaguar gashed him. Suddenly, there was a loud roar. "Did you hear that?" asked Roger, as the sound made the jaguars transform and fly away. "They turned into…" said Maria. "Toucans." Andy replied, as a feather then dropped on his hand. "Paper?" he said.

The roar became louder, as they then saw big feet emerging from the dark fog. "No way, is that?" said Serena, as the creature revealed itself. "It's a dragon…" said Roger. Nole was shaking. "It's that float!" he replied. "The one when Nimbad's first attacked?" asked Serena. "Yeah, but now much bigger than I remember." said Nole.

As the dragon took a deep breath, the rangers then carefully backed out. Seeing Nole again distressed, Serena then puts her hand on his shoulder. "We're all here – there's nothing to worry." she said. Nole himself then took a deep breath and started to calm down, as he then braced himself. "Alright…let's slay it!" he said, as they then morph. "Serve it up!"

Facing the dragon's fire, Blue Ace used his Giga Gloves to guard themselves. "Let's play fire with fire!" said Pink Ace. "Victory Vortex!" said the ladies, as the flame blew back. Suddenly, the dragon's scales began to crumble. "Oh no…JUMP!" said Blue Ace, as the rangers evade a tail attack.

The dragon became a bit dizzy, as it then looked the other way. "Time to go medieval!" said Red Ace, as he and Green Ace made fiery slashes with their Madrid-powered Razor Rackets. "You're tamed!" said Blue Ace, giving the finishing blow on the dragon's head. "Puff, goes the dragon!" he said, as the dragon burned into ashes.

"That was easier than expected." said Yellow Ace, patting Blue Ace's back. "These creatures were made of paper maché." Green Ace replied. "And that's why we need your smarts!" said Pink Ace. "Hey guys, who's that?" said Red Ace, as he pointed towards someone in the grandstand. "Hey, isn't that…" said Yellow Ace. "It's Fabio!" said Blue Ace, as Fabio then smirked and ran away.

"HEY!" shouted Blue Ace, as he then chased Fabio. Unsure on what was happening, the rangers just followed them. "Stop! We just want to talk to you." said Blue Ace, as they continued running. "Was he just here all along?" said Yellow Ace.

Eventually, the rangers cornered Fabio into a stadium. "Citizen, aren't you Fabio Panini?" asked Blue Ace. "Yeah, I am." Fabio replied. "We're just here to ask where you have been. Your team is worried!" said Yellow Ace. "Oh. Um, you see, no one appreciates my pranks. That's why I thought me missing would be quite funny!" Fabio replied.

"Really? You call THIS funny?" furiously said Pink Ace. "You're right…it's not." said Fabio, as his eyes suddenly glow. "This is quite dodgy!" said Green Ace. Fabio was then covered by a familiar dark fog, transforming then into Clownini. The rangers were taken aback.

"They turned him into a Journeyman!" said Red Ace. "Yes, it's me! The new and nasty Fabio. Gone are the days of childish pranks, because Clownini will show you, what true chaos is!" said the Journeyman, as he then tried to attack the rangers with multiple false teeth.

"That had to be a disguise." said Yellow Ace, as the rangers tried to dodge. " _No, no, no…_ " said Clownini, wagging his finger. "You see, no one appreciates my practical jokes. They said I should take things seriously, focusing only on my game. But during that fateful day, the armada then took me, and my art was finally recognized! Unlike someone like you…Nole and Serena!" he continued.

"How does he know?" asked Yellow Ace. "He may have been briefed by the armada." replied Green Ace. "Fabio, we're not here to hurt you!" said Blue Ace. "It's OK, because I WILL!" Clownini replied, as he then quickly swirled around the area, spreading dark fog. "Keep vigilant, mates!" said Green Ace. "I hate smoking!" said Pink Ace, as she then used her Boom Blaster with the Auckland medal to blow the fog away.

* * *

"Um, I think I'm just making things worse…" said Pink Ace, as the attack just spreads the fog around. From out of the blue, Clownini rushed towards the rangers. "Look out!" said Red Ace, as the surroundings faded to black.

"Uh… Wait, where are we?" said Blue Ace. "We're in a Dread Duel, _i miei amici_!" Clownini shouted, being beside Blue Ace. "You're joking!" said Red Ace. "Isn't that where players turn into creeps like him?" asked Pink Ace. "Yeah. Sis said this is bad news." Yellow Ace replied.

"OK, so here are the rules: y'all see what's there in the middle?" said Clownini. "Whoever punches that golden clown bag first, wins the duel! It's easy, no?" he continued. "OK, but what's the catch?" asked Green Ace. "To spice things up, the course will be filled with traps! The traps would try to stop me too, to be fair, of course." Clownini replied.

"So, who wants to do it? If you win, you can leave. But if you lose, you'll become my prank protégé! It's a win-win, right?" said Clownini. Immediately, Blue Ace rose his hand. "I'll do it! There's only one king of pranks here, and that's me." he said.

"Nole, are you going to be fine?" asked Yellow Ace. "There's nothing to fear as you said, right?" Blue Ace replied. "And hey, I know most things in the pranking book! I'm ready for this." he continued.

Suddenly, someone then appeared from above. "What is that light?" said Blue Ace. "Hello, everyone! I'm Carlnades, your Ump for today!" said the Ump. "Wait, isn't he…" said Pink Ace. "No, no. You're mistaking me for someone else." said Ump Carlnades. "Quite fascinating – an umpire doppelganger." said Green Ace.

"So, are both players set?" said Ump Carlnades, as both Blue Ace and Clownini nodded. The land beneath them then suddenly became bigger, as a stone maze then rose up from the ground. "This is insane!" said Yellow Ace, as gaps and tricky traps then began to emerge.

The shaking suddenly stopped. "Is it over?" said Blue Ace, when suddenly a net-like pendulum emerged at the center of the maze, swinging back-and-forth. "I didn't ask for a maze! What gives?" said Clownini.

"A Dread Duel is still an Advantage Duel – it's a property of no one." Ump Carlnades replied, as Clownini then grumbled. "In addition, both players can use their own skills and weapons, except for those that can simply bypass the maze." he continued. "Heard that? No flying!" said Blue Ace. "Who cares? Regardless, I'm gonna prove who's the king here!" said Clownini.

Suddenly, Blue Ace shook in fear, overwhelmed by the occasion. "NOLE!" shouted Yellow Ace from afar, as Blue Ace then looked towards her. "No fear. Right?" she said. Blue Ace then tried to compose himself, taking a big, deep breath. "No fear… _AJDE_!" he shouted. "OK, let's go! Ready…play!" said Ump Carlnades, as the duel then commenced.

Blue Ace and Clownini each faced their first obstacle, as clown bags popped up from the ground. "Alright, time bop and pop!" said Blue Ace, as he then sliced the inflatables one by one. "Oh, this is such a sticky situation!" said Pink Ace. "Don't worry, let's just trust him." said Yellow Ace.

More traps began to emerge, as both duelists tried to dash through the maze. Blue Ace was seemingly in the right path, when suddenly a pit emerged in front of him. "Piranhas?" said Blue Ace, as he then quickly jumped over the pit.

* * *

" _Sigh_ , I was not expecting that!" said Blue Ace, when suddenly a pie appeared out of the maze wall. "Yikes!" he said, as he then tried to avoid it. "Figures. Good pranks always have a Plan B!" he said.

As he zipped away from the flinging pies, Blue Ace then faced a crossroad. "Which way?" he said, when suddenly another pie landed on his face. "Oh, donkey cheese! Forgot one! But hey, it seems…" he said, when the pie then suddenly exploded. The other rangers gasped, but Yellow Ace kept being positive. "I know he can do this! I hope…" she said.

On the other side of the maze, Clownini was casually avoiding traps. "Oopsy-daisy!" he said, as he then turned a trap into something else. "Umpire, was that even legal?" asked Green Ace. "He's just pranking the prank. I'll allow it!" Ump Carlnades replied, as the rangers became a bit more concerned.

Meanwhile, Blue Ace tried to avoid a trip wire. However, he wasn't able to notice another one in front of him. Suddenly, a trap fell from above. "FIRE?" he said, as he then quickly tried to roll away.

As Blue Ace stood up, he then faced his toughest test yet. "Whoa!" he said backing off, gasping for air as he looked towards the sharp, swinging, net-like pendulum axe. _"Now, how I'm gonna get through this?"_ he thought, then observing the pendulum as it swings very erratically. "There's no pattern here!" he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Come on, Nole. _Ajde_!" Yellow Ace shouted, as the other rangers also gave encouragement. Hearing their support, Blue Ace then again gasped for air – this time, however, to strengthen his resolve.

 _"Alright, here goes everything."_ thought Blue Ace, as he then rushed towards the pendulum. In a quick moment, Blue Ace was able to pass it, safely sliding underneath it. The other rangers cheered, and with one obstacle left, they were excited to see Blue Ace close to winning.

"OK. Just cross this river, and win…I know I will." said Blue Ace, looking towards the river which had oddly shaped rocks floating along it. "It can't be that easy." he wondered, as he then tried to step on one. As he did, the rock then sank, making him fall into the river. The other rangers were shocked, but a bubble then emerged from the river, floating Blue Ace inside it back to shore.

The rangers gave sighs of relief, as Blue Ace restarted. "Phew, thought I was a goner." he said. As he made another attempt, Blue Ace was then able to first step on a stable rock. It then burst out an unsettling sound. "Wait, are these…" he thought, realizing something. "Oh, they're like whoopee cushions!" he said.

Blue Ace quickly zipped through the next rocks, but then on his 7th step, fell again. While in the bubble, Blue Ace heard an angry voice. "It seems I'm not the only one having troubles." he said. At the other side of the maze, Clownini was getting frustrated. "Why isn't this working?" he said, as he then touched a rock. The rock then turned into a bowling ball, something Clownini did not want it to change into.

Wondering why the rock did not turn into a floaty like he wanted to, Clownini then realized something. " _Ugh_ , I can only make nasty traps!" he said, then stamping his feet in frustration.

"There has to be a solid solution to this." said Blue Ace, as he then observed the rocks. He then noticed that when a rock goes to the left side of the maze wall and disappears, a new one then reappears from the other side. Seeing a potential path, Blue Ace then remembered something. "Hey, what if?" he said. "What's he doing?" asked Pink Ace. "Wait, I think I know!" Yellow Ace replied.

* * *

"Oh, farts!" said Clownini, as he again stepped on a sinking rock. Meanwhile, Blue Ace waited for the rocks to reappear, and then noticed that one had a blue streak on it. Seeing it, he then stepped on a different rock. However, he again sank with it. As Blue Ace floats back, he then saw the rock float up – now having a blue streak on it.

Clownini meanwhile takes another attempt, but then again fell on his 2nd step. On the other hand, as Blue Ace tried again, he then saw the new, blue stained rock. "Cool!" said Blue Ace, as he again stepped on a different rock. "Nice!" he said, seeing that the rock was stable.

Pausing a bit, Blue Ace then gashed that rock with his Razor. "What's he doing?" asked Pink Ace. "I don't know." Yellow Ace replied. "Oh Nole, you beauty!" said Green Ace, knowing what Blue Ace was doing.

Blue Ace repeated the cycle – avoid the blue, step on gashes. With only four steps left, his confidence was at its peak. "Just a few more…" he said. He then took another step, but he chose poorly. Blue Ace got down on himself, but the other rangers then kept lifting him on. "You're almost there! You can do this." said Yellow Ace.

"That joker's gonna win!" Clownini muttered to himself. Suddenly, he saw the blue streak. "Wait, that rock…it didn't look like that before!" he said, avoiding it instead. With two steps to go, Clownini made a mistake. The Journeyman then spurted out an ironically poetic rant, getting a snicker out of the rangers.

As he restarts again, Blue Ace then focused on his plan, now quickly skipping through the rocks with much less difficulty. With only two steps left and no blue streak, he had to make a decision. He bravely jumped towards the rock on the left, then gave a fist pump as it was sturdy – only one step to go.

Clownini eventually caught up, and he too had to face the final step. In front of both players were two rocks, each in a static position. "So it's a coin toss, huh?" said Blue Ace. The two duelists finally chose their rock – both chose the one at their right, yet both chose wrong.

As the two got back to the start, they were too exhausted to restart again. Willing himself to continue, Blue Ace then let out a big roar, pulling through the obstacle with all his might. Clownini also tried to catch up, and the two again was one step away to the other side.

Clownini chose left, while Blue Ace again chose right. Somehow, Clownini sank again. However, Blue Ace saw a blue streak at the rock on the left, knowing he needs to avoid it. Blue Ace heard a tooting sound as he stepped on it, and was able to get across the river. The other rangers rejoiced.

"There it is….the golden clown bag!" said Blue Ace, as he then quickly ran towards it. Suddenly, he then stopped. "Wait…" he said, as he then checked around. From his left side, Blue Ace saw a net pendulum approaching. He then quickly dodged the pendulum, and in a split second, punched the clown bag before the pendulum comes back.

In a bright flash of light, the duelists were transported back to the start. "I declare this Dread Duel, over. The victor is...Blue Ace!" said Ump Carlnades, who just appeared above them. The pocket dimension suddenly disappeared, as all of them returned back to the stadium.

The nega-aura suddenly then dissipated from Clownini, reverting him back to Fabio. "Well that was exhausting." said Blue Ace. "Hey, how you thought of that plan?" asked Green Ace. "I just used this invisible ink we confiscated from Fabio the other day, and thought it would help keeping on track. The rock sinks, get wet, and they float to reveal the streak. Easy peasy!" Blue Ace replied, holding the invisible ink bottle on his hand.

* * *

Suddenly, a ball of light came out of Fabio, landing then into Blue Ace's hand. "Hey, what's this?" said Blue Ace, as something appeared in his hand. "It's a Match Medal!" said Red Ace. "It says… Rio de Janeiro." said Blue Ace. "But how?" said Yellow Ace. Blue Ace just shrugged.

" _Oh_ , where am I?" said Fabio, who was regaining consciousness. "Oh, let's help him up!" said Blue Ace. "Wait, aren't you Power Rangers?" asked Fabio. "Um, yes, we are." Blue Ace replied. "Awesome! But, why are y'all here?" asked Fabio.

"Wait, you can't remember anything?" asked Yellow Ace. "Yeah. Actually, I remember being ambushed by a freak in armor." Fabio replied. "Freak in armor? Maybe it was an armada general." said Green Ace. "Anyway, you're safe, OK?" said Blue Ace.

"Thanks!" said Fabio. Confused, he then called his coach. "Oh, I see. I'll be there." he said, as he received some bad news. "Hey, I have to go! It seems the freaks are back in the tournament." he said to the rangers. "What?" said Pink Ace. "My coach said they have all evacuated to a hotel close here." Fabio continued.

"Hey, do you want us to go with you?" asked Red Ace. "It's OK, I can handle." said Fabio. "Well, be safe." said Blue Ace. "Also, try to level down on pranking, OK? You got into this bit of trouble because of it." said Blue Ace, grabbing Fabio's shoulder before he ran to the hotel. "Yeah, I will." Fabio replied, nodding back. "You heard him. Let's go back!" said Red Ace, as they then zipped back to the tournament.

"Wow, this place is soaked!" said Pink Ace. "The flood's getting higher. Let's find that storm trooper!" said Blue Ace. "That's not what a Stormtrooper is." said Green Ace, as he then followed the others.

"The wind's so strong!" said Yellow Ace, as the rangers pushed forward. "Hey, there's more wind picking up over there." said Pink Ace, pointing towards Court Gustavo. "I concur Nimbad is there!" said Green Ace.

"It's like a swimming pool!" said Yellow Ace, as they arrived at the heavily flooded court. "What's happening here?" asked Blue Ace. "Rangers! They survived?" said Nimbad, centered on the court as he keeps whipping up the storm. "Hang on, guys!" said Red Ace, as he then quickly twirled his Slick Staff to counter the gusts. "Let's end this… _ajde_!" shouted Blue Ace, as the rangers then charged.

The rangers tried to attack Nimbad again, but the Journeyman evaded. "Haven't you done this already?" said Nimbad. The rangers then again used their Miami medals on their Razors. "Why it's not working?" said Pink Ace. "Our attacks seem weakened by the wind and rain." said Green Ace.

"What if we try an electric attack?" suggested Red Ace, as he then said "Tokyo medal, set!" The others then followed suit. "Electricity? We'll all be zapped if you do it!" warned Nimbad in a taunting way. "We have another sticky wicket here, mates!" said Green Ace.

Suddenly, Blue Ace had an idea. Inserting the Standford medal in his Razor Racket, he then looked towards Green Ace's way. "Hey, Andy? Look there!" he said. "What?" Green Ace replied, looking at his left. Suddenly, Blue Ace attacked him with an energy slash.

"Nole, what in the world?" said Yellow Ace. "Another ranger lost his marbles!" laughed Nimbad, as he then attacked. Quickly, Blue Ace then shielded the rangers with his Giga Gloves. Green Ace slowly recovered, when suddenly images of salt and cloud seeding popped up on his mind, and so were lessons about Match Medal powers.

* * *

" _Eureka_!" said Green Ace. "Mates, I know a way to defeat him!" he continued. "What is it?" asked Red Ace. "If we can make Nimbad heavier by forcing water into him, and then force him to precipitate, then we can possibly weaken him!" Green Ace replied.

"How did you come up with this?" wondered Pink Ace. "I just had a brain blast! Quick, use Geneva medals for your Victory Vortex!" said Green Ace. "Sure!" said Pink Ace, as she and Yellow Ace then again combined their weapons. "Here we go…Victory Hydro Vortex!" they said.

"Whoa, let me out of here!" shouted Nimbad, trapped inside the water tornado. "Roger, Nole, use the Beijing medals on the Giga Staff!" said Green Ace, as the two men also combined their weapons. As Nimbad was about to drop, Red Ace and Blue Ace then quickly jabbed the Journeyman around.

"Why do I taste salt!" said Nimbad, as his tufts began to disappear. With the core exposed, Red Ace and Blue Ace made a knockout punch. After they hit the core however, it then started to go crazy. "Oh guys, what's happening here?" said Blue Ace.

"It seems the core's going to discharge!" said Red Ace nervously, when suddenly the rangers received a call. "Rangers, it seems the Journeyman's core is now unstable!" said Laverus. "Yeah, I'm freaking out right now!" said Blue Ace. "Don't worry! Combine all your individual weapons, and create the Court Xrosser!" said Laverus.

"What does it do?" asked Blue Ace. "The Cross Xrosser will be able to diffuse the core's power by using its special attack." Laverus replied. "Nice! Thanks for your help." said Blue Ace, as the rangers then hang up. "You heard him, guys!" said Blue Ace, as the rangers then combined all their weapons.

By intersecting the Boom Hammer and the Giga Staff at the center, boosting them with the Geneva, Stanford, Miami and Beijing medals, and by interlocking them with Green Ace's Tokyo medal powered Sling Slashers, the rangers were able to form their combined team weapon, the Court Xrosser.

"This looks incredible!" said Yellow Ace. "Come on, let's end this rain delay!" said Blue Ace, as the rangers then throw the Court Xrosser towards Nimbad's core. The Court Xrosser then circles around the core, creating a barrier that traps it. "Xross Cutter!" said the rangers, as the Court Xrosser then cuts through the core like an X, as the core then explodes safely.

" _Argh_ , he's left to nothing!" said General Mugro back at the Dreadful Default. "I won't let Don Skeletoni down! Ballbasher…deploy!" he shouted, as he then pressed a button in his tablet, dropping a giant Muger Ball towards Earth. "Everyone, I think a Bulk Pill is dropping right at us!" said Pink Ace, as the rangers ran out of its way.

The Muger Ball made a giant wave, wiping out everything around it. "Wait, that doesn't look like a Bulk Pill." said Green Ace, as the giant Muger Ball then released the Ballbasher. "This is new!" said Blue Ace, as the giant creature tried to attack them.

"Rangers, this enemy is called a Ballbasher!" said Laverus, contacting the rangers. "For real?" said Blue Ace. The Ballbasher then launched large BB's towards the rangers, and then tried to step on them. "Let's use this pool party to our advantage. Serena, lets summon our Zords!" said Blue Ace. "OK!" said Yellow Ace, as the Stingray Ace Zord and Hammerhead Ace Zord then appeared.

The Ballbasher quickly tried to attack the Zords with rapid fire, but the two were able to dodge. "Nice moves!" said Blue Ace. The Hammerhead Zord then smashes its head on the water, tripping the Ballbasher.

* * *

With the Ballbasher wiped out, the Stingray Zord comes out from behind, as it then used its tail to slice it like sushi. The Ballbasher was destroyed, and the rangers celebrated. "Oh well, I guess we'll have to dry out those chairs again." said Yellow Ace.

" _Argh_ , how will I face the Don after this!" said General Mugro, ruing Nimbad's defeat. "Your plans failed again, I see!" said General Flopez. "Hey! That clown failed too, y'know." said General Mugro.

The next day, Nole and Serena returned to Court Gustavo. "OK…NOW that's the last of it." said Serena, finishing drying up the chairs. "Hey, Fabio's unusually quiet today." said Nole, seeing Fabio sitting at the player's bench. "I'm gonna go check on him, OK?" he said. "OK!" she replied.

"Hey bro, are you OK?" asked Nole. "Oh, I'm fine. It's just that crazy things happened to me these past days. Made me realize a new perspective, you know?" Fabio replied. "Wow, that's deep coming from you!" said Nole. "Well, I just realized that maybe I should be a bit more serious in my training. Try to channel my artistry more on court, I think." said Fabio.

"Hey, there's always time for pranks, right? You just had to find the right balance." said Blue Ace, as he then gave the invisible ink back to Fabio. "Hey, thanks! Nole, you want a practice match?" asked Fabio. "Now? Oh, sure!" Nole replied, as he then tried to shake hands with Fabio.

However, Nole suddenly felt a sharp jolt. "What was that?" he said, quickly realizing the situation. "Oh, you…" he continued, as Fabio then showed his joy buzzer. "Hey, I said I'll try." said Fabio as he then smiles, as the two then start to warm-up.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

Well, that took longer than expected (but seems shorter than the gap from the previous one), haha. I noticed that most of my chapters are seemingly two-parters that can be shrunk to one, so I tried to make it a bit longer, but all contained in one chapter. This episode did have 2 Journeymen, but it is a singular story piece. Tried to shorten it, but it still quite long with 11,000+ words — hope it's not too much.

Anyway, this is episode focuses on Nole with a bit of Serena, as Nole comes to terms with one of his biggest fears — parade floats? It seems like an absurd fear, but as memories from the past resurfaced, it seems there's more to it than meets the eye. As the threat of the Faultissimo Armada rises, his joking tendencies seem to have waned, if not fully gone. Still, being a prankster has its perks, as his resourcefulness makes it possible for him to succeed, saving what could've been a gloomy day.

 _Characters:_

 **Villains:**

 **1\. Nimbad** \- A Journeyman developed by General Mugro, he is able to create great storms around an area, able to also split into MiNimbuses, disrupting matches and create rain delays.

 **2\. Clownini** \- A Journeyman developed by General Flopez, Fabio becomes a clown of chaos, bringing real danger and fear, perfect for invading a planet.

 **Players:**

 **Fabio Panini** \- A talented, yet lax, he's more of an "artist" than a player, prioritizing things he just likes to do. Quite a prankster, he and Nole bonded on tour because of it. Seeing his potential for troublemaking, the Faultissimo Armada captured him, turning him into a Journeyman of chaos.

He's inspired by Italy's Fabio Fognini, a player known for his flamboyant strokes, but also his rollercoaster demeanor. He had won a Grand Slam in doubles however, pairing with his friend Simone Bolleli (who is the inspiration for Simoné in a previous chapter).

 **Supporting:**

 **1\. Richard Baas** \- The tournament director of many tournaments in the circuit, he oversees to make sure they run smoothly. He's inspired by Richard Krajicek, a former Wimbledon champion and a tournament director (Rotterdam as of this writing).

 **2\. Marcelo** \- Brazil's best men's singles player, known for his big serve. He's based on Marcelo Melo, a Career High #1 player in doubles and a two-time doubles Grand Slam champion.

 **3\. Teliana** \- Brazil's best women's singles player. She's based on Teliana Pereira, currently one of Brazil's best players.

 **4\. Paula** \- Argentina's best women's singles player. She's based on Paula Ormaechea, currently one of Argentina's best players.

 _Other Thoughts:_

Sorry if the fart jokes with the stink bomb and the whoopee cushion are a bit much, but you can't have a prank-themed episode without them haha. Also if you're asking about why does the Beijing medal has the power of salt, then I suggest searching for the biggest salt producing city in the world. It's actually quite fascinating.

Also, I think you can catch an MMPR reference somewhere here. " _i miei amici"_ meanwhile means "my friend".

Want to know more about Nole's backstory? Well, let's just say it will all be clear on another day. But for now we look forward to the next chapter as the rangers go to the desert city that is Dubai in **Game 9**!

 _Disclaimer:_

Power Rangers is a property of Saban Brands. The characters are inspired by tennis personalities and should not be treated as their real life inspirations.


End file.
